Cost of sleep studies

There are two types of sleep study:^1,2

• Home sleep study: Most sleep clinics offer a home sleep test option. You’ll visit your clinic and your specialist will attach monitoring leads earlier in the day. You will then take a kit home with you and you can perform the test in your own bed.
• In-lab sleep study: These tests are performed in a sleep clinic in a highly controlled environment. Trained specialists will attach monitoring leads and you’ll spend the night at the clinic. You’ll be monitored while you sleep to collect data.

The best option will depend on the patient, so discuss this with your sleep specialist.¹ While home sleep studies are usually reliable, in-lab sleep studies do tend to be more accurate in their results. However, some patients find sleeping in an unfamiliar place difficult, making a home test a better option for them.

Once you’ve taken a sleep study, a sleep specialist will examine the information gathered to make a diagnosis. A sleep study can diagnose and help with treating a variety of sleep disorders, including:¹

• Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Sleep-related breathing disorders
• Restless leg syndrome
• Narcolepsy.

Sleep apnoea is a condition where your breathing pauses during your sleep.² This is caused by the throat becoming obstructed, which reduces or completely stops your breathing. The severity of this can vary, ranging from mild snoring to leaving you gasping for air and waking up.

Some of the most common symptoms of sleep apnoea include:

• Pauses in breathing during the night while sleeping (apnoeas)
• Loud snoring
• Constant tossing and turning during the night
• Waking up suddenly, gasping for air or choking
• Insomnia
• Feeling tired and unrested
• Daytime sleepiness.

If you share a bed with someone, they may notice symptoms that you don’t. Left untreated, sleep apnoea can lead to a range of other health issues. A sleep test can help diagnose the issue if you notice any of these symptoms.

The first step is to receive your sleep study results from your sleep physician. If you have an issue like sleep apnoea or breathing problems, there are a few possible solutions your doctor may suggest, including:^3,4

• A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine: Considered the most effective means of treating sleep apnoea, a CPAP machine consists of a mask, an air pump and a tube to join the two. While sleeping, you wear the mask, and the machine pumps low-pressure air into the throat to keep airways open, which helps with the adverse effects of sleep apnoea.
• Oral application (splinting device): Though not as effective as a CPAP machine, oral devices can help with mild to moderate sleep apnoea and snoring. Resembling a mouth guard, these devices are worn while you’re sleeping to help open up your airways. A dentist specialising in sleep apnoea will fit an oral application for you.
• Sleep medicine: This is usually only a temporary solution as it won’t help solve the underlying cause of your sleep disorder.

For mild conditions, simple steps such as losing weight, consuming less alcohol, exercising more and adjusting your sleep position could make a big difference. Even if you have a more serious sleeping condition, your doctor will likely also recommend these steps to improve your sleep.

Your health fund can cover sleep studies, provided you have a policy with the right level of hospital cover. You must have ‘sleep studies’ listed as one of your clinical categories for in-hospital treatment and have served any relevant waiting periods; sleep studies is only a minimum requirement for Gold-tier hospital cover. Depending on your health fund, you may be able to get sleep studies included on a lower tier as part of a plus policy (for example, Silver Plus).

If you require a CPAP machine, health insurance can also contribute towards this. However, you’ll need a policy that includes CPAP machines, which often falls under extras cover. Extras policies will have benefit limits that affect how much you can claim for each specific treatment, so it’s important to factor this in when considering CPAP machines.

Having health insurance allows you to claim a rebate on treatment as a private patient, which has benefits such as:

• Avoiding public hospital waiting times
• Choice of specialist and clinic
• Flexibility for treatment time and place.

Medicare will cover the costs of eligible sleep studies in public hospitals and bulk billing clinics, but you’ll need a referral from your doctor to be eligible for Medicare cover. It can also help cover some of the Medicare Benefit Schedule fee for studies in private clinics. Medicare can also offer some assistance for CPAP machines; however, the cover will vary greatly depending on the type of machine you’re getting and your situation.

While the public health care system provides a valuable service, there are some downsides to being treated in a public hospital. For instance, there’s often a long waitlist to receive treatments in a public hospital, and you’ll also have less choice in terms of both your specialist and appointment times.