Sleep Studies at Oaks Hospital in Colchester

The primary condition we look for with a sleep study is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). OSA is a condition that causes you to stop breathing for a few seconds or minutes due to a partial or full collapse of your upper airways. This occurs many times whilst you are asleep with frequency depending on the severity of the sleep apnoea. Another, rarer, type of sleep apnoea is called Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA). This happens when your brain does not send the right signals to the breathing muscles during sleep. This can also be detected on a sleep study. Home sleep studies can also detect conditions such as Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD).

Many sleep problems are caused, or contributed to, by sleep apnoea. It is one of the most common and under-diagnosed sleep disorders. It can cause a variety of symptoms including snoring, excessive sleepiness, insomnia, and many other sleep issues. Because of this, it is always worth looking for sleep apnoea as a cause of any sleep problems.

Ramsay Health Care have partnered with Theta Sleep to deliver a remote sleep apnoea service for patients, covering the full pathway from referral, to diagnosis (via a sleep study), to treatment and ongoing management.

This remote service allows sleep studies to be performed at home, in the comfort of your own bed. The results of your sleep study will be reviewed by an expert team of sleep clinicians who will advise on the best course of treatment if required. All consultations are performed remotely, and any treatment equipment will also be delivered to your home, removing the need to take time off work and pay for travel into a hospital.

Theta Sleep use a secure digital platform to help manage your sleep medicine journey. On this platform you will be able to access educational materials related to sleep apnoea, answer some questions related to sleep problems you may be having, and book a home sleep study. Once you have completed the sleep study, you will have a follow up consultation with a sleep specialist to discuss the sleep study result and any other sleep issues. 

At Ramsay Health Care, people often come to us for sleep studies to try to find out the cause of their ongoing sleep problems, or if they are feeling sleepy during the day or waking up feeling tired instead of refreshed. Also, partners may hear loud snoring, gasping and stopping breathing while sleeping which causes concern. Patients might also be referred for a sleep study if they are identified as high risk for sleep apnoea before undergoing surgery with Ramsay Health Care. 

If you choose to have your sleep studies at Ramsay, you will be choosing to have a sleep service that is fast, reliable, and built with you in mind. The expert team of sleep clinicians at Theta Sleep will ensure that you receive the best-in-class sleep medicine care.

• Our service has significantly reduced waiting times compared to NHS sleep services, providing rapid diagnosis and treatment to make a difference in your life as soon as possible. Timelines will depend on how quickly you register and book your sleep study and appointments. Typically, it takes 2-4 weeks to complete your sleep study and discuss your results in a consultation. If treatment is required, it normally takes another 2-3 weeks to get started.

• Our service includes both the diagnostic sleep study and follow up consultation with a specialist sleep clinician. In this consultation, you will get the chance to discuss any sleep issues you are having, including symptoms related to sleep apnoea or other sleep disorders, to ensure a comprehensive assessment of your sleep is made. 

• The end-to-end care pathway is delivered remotely. All diagnostic equipment is sent to your home so that you can complete the sleep study in the comfort of your own bed on a night of your choosing. All consultations are done remotely via video or phone calls, and any treatment can also be delivered to your home with dedicated support from specialist teams. This prevents the need to take time off work or pay for travel into hospitals to pick up and drop off equipment, or for face-to-face consultations. You can access this remote service from anywhere, tackling the postcode lottery that exists for sleep medicine care across the NHS. 

• All patients seen in this service benefit from a comprehensive clinical service delivered in line with NHS best practices and with multidisciplinary team (MDT) input to care. The care pathway has been designed around guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the NHS, and the British Sleep Society to ensure you receive the best-in-class sleep medicine care. 

• As part of this service, if you require treatment (for example with a continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machine), you will be provided all necessary support to initiate this successfully. This support consists of regular follow ups, 24/7 telephone support, access to an app to track how you are getting on with CPAP, and a chance to have queries and worries answered by an expert team of sleep clinicians.

Sleep studies help doctors diagnose sleep disorders. Often, sleep disorders cannot be identified during normal waking hours, and sleep specialists need to gather more information while you are asleep. With the service that Ramsay Health Care is offering in collaboration with Theta Sleep, all sleep studies are done at home, instead of being done in a hospital or laboratory.

During a sleep study your brain and body activity during sleep is recorded. The following may be measured:

• heart rate

• breathing patterns and airflow through your mouth and nose

• blood oxygen level

• body position

• limb movement

• snoring and talking

• how quickly you fall asleep

• sleep duration

• sleep efficiency

Some sleep studies can monitor your sleep stages and cycles and help to identify if or when your sleep patterns are disrupted and why.

If you may have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) then you will be recommended for a sleep study. But you may wonder is it worth doing. The answer is yes for several reasons.

Reasons to do a sleep study include:

• You are at risk of unchecked sleep apnoea and associated physical health problems such as:

• Fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness

• Stress

• Obesity

• Heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and an irregular heart rhythm

• Diabetes

• Headaches

• The next step after getting diagnosed is receiving treatment that can help you get better sleep and feel more alert and invigorated during the day.

There are many possible consequences to your mental health and general well-being due to poor sleep or sleep apnoea. These include:

• Depression and anxiety

• Irritability and mood swings

• Difficulty concentrating

• Cognitive impairment

• Decreased sex drive

• Poor work performance

• Increased risk of accidents, especially when driving.

• A general lower quality of life - being tired all the time means you spend less quality time with your friends and family and have less energy to participate in activities.

Your sleep disorder can also affect your partner’s sleep:

• People with sleep apnoea often snore loudly which can disturb their partner's sleep.

• A cessation in your breathing can cause your partner a lot of worry as they fear that you may stop breathing in the night altogether.

• Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) can cause continuous movement of your legs in bed and may either wake your partner from sleep or prevent them from going to sleep.

Symptoms of sleep apnoea that suggest you may need a sleep study include:

• Loud and heavy snoring during sleep

• Being told you stop breathing during your sleep

• Waking up feeling unrefreshed despite a full night’s sleep 

• Waking up with headaches 

• Waking up from sleep and gasping for breath or choking

• Trouble falling and/or staying asleep

• Waking up multiple times at night to urinate 

• Daytime sleepiness and fatigue

• Inability to concentrate and have consistent memory lapses

• Poor memory, poor cognition, or low mood

Most sleep studies take place over one or two nights. You will be given instructions about what type of sleep study you will have and how to prepare for it. You will be able to complete the sleep study in your own home and in your own bed. 

You will receive a formal quotation price for your sleep study and follow up consultation before you are referred to Theta Sleep and book your sleep study in. This formal quote for your sleep study and follow up consultation will be valid for 60 days and payment will be taken before your sleep study is booked in.

There is generally no recovery process needed after a sleep study. This is because the study is non-invasive and takes place during your normal sleeping hours. You therefore just go to sleep whilst data is captured using different tools and tests. 

Ramsay have partnered with Theta Sleep to offer a comprehensive range of sleep studies to monitor, investigate and diagnose your sleep problems. Depending on your symptoms and overall health, the most appropriate sleep studies will be advised.
We use the latest technology and equipment during sleep studies to investigate your sleep problems. Should a sleep disorder be diagnosed, our specialists in sleep disorders are part of a multidisciplinary team who will determine the very best treatment for you. You will have rapid access to sleep disorder treatment and continuity of care.