Testing

GREAT NEWS!!  AT HOME TESTING IS NOW FREE AT ALL SNORE SHOP LOCATIONS!!

In the old days, when it was discovered that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was more than just a socially embarrassing problem, anyone and everyone who snored was tested for OSA with in hospital testing.  Hospital wait lists started to climb, and today, the average person can expect to wait upwards of a year for in-hospital testing.

At-Home Ambulatory Testing

Because of decreasing hospital resources and escalating costs, attempts were made to find ways for home testing.  The premise of being able to be tested in a person’s own bed, in their own home, lead companies to develop a number of ambulatory testing devices.  Today’s common devices have all been validated against in-hospital testing.  They have been found to be accurate at determining the severity of OSA in most people.  Now, people concerned about having obstructive sleep apnea can get timely, accurate testing in their own home at low cost.  This also saves resources for the hospitals.

Say Hello to The ARES Unicorder

Gone are the wires and probes from the old hospital sleep studies.  The ARES Unicorder (Watermark Medical) was developed as a level II sleep device (in-hospital testing is by definition a level I study) designed to record multiple channels of data for one night’s sleep.  It will record your breathing parameters, nocturnal oxygenation, heart rate and snoring volume, and differentiate these channels based on your position in bed.  You will be able to see if you really do snore worse on your back.  This device will even record the percentage of REM sleep (rapid eye movement) you have during your study, a means to determine what sort of rest you are getting.  

Waiting times for this test are approximately five business days.  The device is easy to use, and there are voice-command prompts to help you get it started.  You put it on, turn it on with a single push button, and follow the voice commands.  After your sleep, you put it back in the box and return it to the Snore Shop.  We send the data to Watermark Medical for validation and interpretation by a Board Certified Sleep physician.  We then send the report to your physician for review.  The Snore Shop staff are also able to discuss your results with you, although only a physician can properly diagnose the condition if it exists.  It could not be simpler.

For those who live out of reach, The Snore Shop will ship you a device to use.  The included instructions are simple to follow.  Once you have undergone the study, you return it to us in the postage paid package provided.  We will send a copy of the report to your physician.

It is definitely a marvel of medical technology.  A combination of comfort and state of the art testing.

You can learn more here.