Sleep disorders are one of the most significant medical problems individuals can have. An estimated 15 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea and many individuals have other sleep disorders as well.  Sleep apnea is the most serious sleep disorder but other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, and insomnia are also significant medical problems.

Sleep apnea can lead to other medical problems including cardiac disease, hypertension, stroke, as well as lifestyle complications including drowsy driving, occupational accidents, and impaired sexual performance.

Typically, individuals with suspected sleep disorders must have an overnight sleep study in a hospital or outpatient sleep center. While having a facility-based sleep study is an effective way to diagnose and treat sleep disorders, this is not a good option for many patients.

Individuals who have mobility problems, pediatric patients, elderly patients, and individuals who are uncomfortable with medical environments are all candidates for home sleep testing.

Facility-based sleep centers have difficulty performing sleep studies on these types of patients and as a result, many individuals with sleep disorders are undiagnosed and untreated.

On December 1, 2008, Central Sleep Diagnostics in Northbrook, IL, began providing home-based sleep testing in order to meet the needs of these and other patients.

Central Sleep Diagnostics has the capacity to perform 40 sleep studies per night and has plans to expand to other states as well due to the increasing demand for sleep testing.

Current technology allows for home sleep testing to be at an equal-to or in many cases higher quality level of sleep testing than what occurs in a facility-based procedure. Patients having home sleep studies are monitored in the same way as facility-based studies and patients also have the ability to communicate at any moment with a sleep technician who is monitoring their sleep study from a remote location.