What Supplies Should You Bring to a Sleep Study If You Are Already on CPAP?

Have you ever received conflicting reports? You talked with this person who said that, but then someone else from the same establishment tells you to do something else, and you are caught in the middle?

Yes, I understand that frustration. As for me, I would like to bring less complication to at least 1 area of your life.

What should you bring to a sleep study when you are already on CPAP? Should you bring your home machine? Should you bring your mask? What about your hose? What else should you bring? After all, you can be on CPAP without ever doing an in-lab study.

In this article, I will attempt to answer these questions and more.

Basic things to bring to a sleep study

If you've never been to a sleep study, you'll probably need to know what basic necessities you'll need to bring.

Bring pajamas

First up, and the most basic – your pajamas. Numerous times my patients will not show up with pajamas. Second, don't assume that because the sleep lab is in the hospital, they provide pajamas. Also, what you sleep in is what the technologist will do the hook-up in. So...bring pajamas. I don't think I need to say much more on that. The final thing is this: terminology. If a letter shows up in the mail saying to bring your pajamas, this refers to what you feel comfortable sleeping in. Each generation has a different definition of what this means.

Bring your medication

Next, and this is very important, bring your medication if you need to take it. The sleep lab is outpatient. They won't provide your medications for you.

Don't assume hygiene supplies are provided

Bring basic hygiene supplies. Some sleep labs might provide this for you. I think it would be wise to call the lab ahead of time to double-check. If they don't, naturally, bring your own.

Eat supper and bring snacks

Some sleep labs I've worked for provide food for the patients. Some do not. No sleep lab I've worked for has ever provided a meal. Yet many times, patients will show up without eating supper. Please eat a meal before coming, and to be on the safe side, bring your own snacks.

What if I am on CPAP at home?

I receive this question quite often: should I bring in my CPAP machine? This is a great question. The answer is a rather simple no. We have a fully functional machine that includes all types of pressures.

Bring your mask

The next question is this, should I bring anything to do with my CPAP? The answer is a quick yes. Bring your mask. The sleep lab doesn't need your mask, but you might want to bring it along for a couple of reasons.

1. Every sleep lab that I've worked at doesn't contain every type of mask. So don't assume you'll have access to your type of mask when you come in.
2. You'll probably sleep the best with what you are used to. This will help the technologist find an accurate pressure for you.

But leave these things at home

As the CPAP stays home, these items can stay with it too:

1. The hose. The lab will have a hose.
2. The humidifier. The sleep lab will have this too. There's a decent shot yours wouldn't fit anyways.

Going for a sleep study soon? Do you have any questions for Aaron? Drop them in the comments below!