A sleep study records what your breathing actually does through a night's sleep, and it is the only way to confirm obstructive sleep apnea and grade its severity. Sleep study in Rewari with full CPAP setup is available at Vaayu Care under Dr. Ajit Yadav, who is a consultant in sleep medicine as well as respiratory medicine.
Why a sleep study is needed
Snoring, daytime sleepiness and morning headaches point towards sleep apnea, but they cannot confirm it, and they certainly cannot grade it. Plenty of people snore loudly without significant apnea, and some patients with severe disease do not consider themselves sleepy at all.
Because treatment decisions — and their implications for driving, anaesthesia and cardiovascular risk — rest on the severity, that severity has to be measured rather than estimated.
What a sleep study records
- Airflow through the nose and mouth
- Breathing effort from chest and abdominal movement, which separates obstructive events from central ones
- Oxygen saturation, showing how far and how often oxygen falls
- Heart rate
- Snoring intensity
- Body position, since many people have events mainly when lying on their back
- In a full laboratory study, also brain activity, eye movement and muscle tone, allowing true sleep stages to be identified
The main result is the apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) — the average number of breathing events per hour of sleep. Broadly, 5–15 is mild, 15–30 moderate and above 30 severe. The oxygen desaturation profile and your symptoms matter alongside that number.
Home versus laboratory studies
Home sleep testing is done with a portable device you take home, sleeping in your own bed. It is convenient, less expensive, and sufficient for most straightforward adults with a high probability of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
Laboratory polysomnography is preferred where the picture is more complex — significant heart or lung disease, suspected central sleep apnoea or hypoventilation, neuromuscular disease, suspected other sleep disorders, or where a home study has been negative or technically inadequate despite strong clinical suspicion.
Which is appropriate for you is decided at consultation.
Preparing for a sleep study
Keep to your usual sleep schedule and avoid daytime naps beforehand. Avoid alcohol and sedatives on the night of the study, as they change breathing during sleep and distort results. Avoid caffeine from the afternoon. Do not use hair oil, creams or heavy make-up, which stop sensors sticking. Bring your regular medicines and take them as usual unless told otherwise, and bring a list of them.
Sleeping less well than usual is expected and rarely invalidates the study.
CPAP setup — where treatment succeeds or fails
Where CPAP is indicated, the setup determines whether the treatment works in practice, because a machine that is not used is a machine that does nothing.
Titration establishes the pressure that genuinely holds your airway open across all sleep stages and body positions, either in a laboratory study or with an auto-titrating device over several nights. Setting a machine to a default pressure without titration is a common reason for both poor control and poor tolerance.
Mask fitting is done in person, with different types tried — nasal, nasal pillows, full face. The wrong mask is the single commonest reason people abandon CPAP, and it is entirely avoidable.
Humidification is set up to prevent nasal dryness and congestion, and any nasal obstruction is treated, since a blocked nose undermines nasal CPAP completely.
Training covers using, cleaning and maintaining the device, and what to do about common problems — dryness, leak, pressure intolerance, claustrophobia, aerophagia.
Follow-up reviews the download from the machine: hours of use per night, residual AHI on treatment, and mask leak. These three numbers show objectively whether therapy is working, and pressure or interface is adjusted from them rather than from impression.
Alternatives and adjuncts
Not everyone needs or tolerates CPAP. Depending on severity, weight reduction can substantially lower AHI and occasionally resolve mild disease; positional therapy helps where events occur mainly on the back; a mandibular advancement device made by a dentist suits mild to moderate disease or CPAP intolerance; nasal or throat surgery helps carefully selected patients, and nasal surgery often makes CPAP tolerable rather than replacing it. Avoiding alcohol and sedatives in the evening, and treating hypothyroidism, matter in every case.
Booking a sleep study in Rewari
A sleep study is arranged after consultation, where symptoms are assessed and the right type of study chosen. Bring your partner's account of your sleep if possible, a list of your medicines, and any previous sleep study reports or CPAP downloads.
Book an appointment at Vaayu Care, Rewari.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have the sleep study at home?
In many cases yes. Home sleep testing records airflow, breathing effort, oxygen and heart rate in your own bed and is sufficient for most straightforward adults with a high probability of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. A laboratory study is preferred where there is significant heart or lung disease, suspected central apnoea, or where a home study was inconclusive.
What if I cannot sleep properly during the test?
This is a very common worry and rarely a problem. Most people sleep less well than usual, and the study is designed to allow for that — a few hours of recorded sleep is generally enough to reach a reliable result. Only occasionally does a study need repeating because too little sleep was recorded.
How soon will I get the results?
The recording is analysed and reported usually within a few days. Results are explained at a follow-up consultation along with what the AHI and oxygen findings mean, whether treatment is needed, and which options suit you.
Do I have to use CPAP every night, and all night?
Yes, for it to work. Sleep apnea events return on any night CPAP is not used, so benefit only continues while it is being worn. Aim to use it whenever you sleep, including naps, and for as much of the night as possible. Machine downloads record hours of use, which is why follow-up focuses on that number.
How much does CPAP help, and how quickly?
Most people notice better daytime alertness within days to a couple of weeks. Snoring stops almost immediately, morning headaches settle, and partners usually report the change before the patient does. Longer term, effective treatment improves blood pressure control and reduces cardiovascular and accident risk.
What if I cannot tolerate the mask?
Come back rather than giving up. Intolerance almost always has a fixable cause — the wrong mask type or size, pressure set too high, absent humidification, or an untreated blocked nose. Trying a different interface, adjusting pressure settings or adding a ramp feature resolves most cases.
How much does a sleep study cost in Rewari?
A home sleep test costs less than a full study in the laboratory, and a CPAP titration night is charged separately. Which you need depends on your symptoms and other illnesses, and is decided at the consultation — the amount is told to you then. Call 8563816000 to ask.
I only snore. Is a sleep study really needed?
If snoring is loud and nightly, with pauses, gasping or daytime sleepiness, then yes — those are the features of sleep apnea, and no treatment can be chosen sensibly without measuring it. Simple snoring without those features often needs nothing more than advice.