Sleep Study in Hyderabad: Polysomnography and Home Sleep Test

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If someone has told you that you snore loudly and stop breathing in your sleep, or you wake up exhausted no matter how long you’ve slept, a sleep study is how you find out what’s actually going on at night. In Telugu, many patients simply call it nidra pareeksha (నిద్ర పరీక్ష), the sleep test.

It’s painless and nothing goes inside your body. Most people are surprised by how ordinary the night is.

A sleep study records what your body does while you sleep. Small sensors stuck on the skin, a soft tube under the nose and an elastic belt or two around the chest measure several things at once:

“Polysomnography” just means “recording many things during sleep”. The full in-lab version records all of the above. A home test records the breathing, oxygen and heart rate channels.

Your doctor may recommend one if you have:

• Loud snoring with pauses in breathing, gasping or choking that someone has noticed
• Daytime sleepiness: dozing off in meetings, while reading, or while driving
• High blood pressure that stays high despite medicines
• Atrial fibrillation, heart failure, or a past stroke, with sleep symptoms
• Waking unrefreshed, with morning headaches or poor concentration
• Planned bariatric (weight-loss) surgery, or other surgery where undiagnosed sleep apnea would raise the anaesthesia risk
• A smartwatch sleep apnea alert (Apple Watch notifications became available in India in May 2026)
• Unusual behaviours in sleep: acting out dreams, or violent movements

You’ll also need a sleep study to set the right CPAP pressure, or to check whether sleep apnea has improved after major weight loss or surgery.

A questionnaire can raise suspicion, but it can’t diagnose sleep apnea. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) guideline is clear that questionnaires and prediction tools shouldn’t be used to diagnose sleep apnea without a sleep test.

sleep apnea symptoms and treatment

You’ll often see sleep studies described as Level (or Type) 1, 2, 3 or 4. The level tells you how many things are recorded and whether a technician is watching through the night.

This is decided at your consultation. The rules follow the AASM guideline on diagnosing adult sleep apnea.

A home sleep test is usually suitable if:

• You’re an adult with typical signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea: loud snoring, witnessed pauses, daytime sleepiness, or high blood pressure
• You don’t have significant heart failure, lung disease (such as COPD or ILD), neuromuscular weakness, or a past stroke
• You don’t regularly take strong opioid painkillers
• No other sleep disorder is suspected

An in-lab study is the better choice if:

• You have significant heart or lung disease, a past stroke, or muscle weakness
• Central sleep apnea, or under-breathing during sleep (hypoventilation), is suspected
• Another sleep disorder is possible, such as narcolepsy, a sleep movement disorder, or unusual night-time behaviours
• You have severe insomnia (a home test can underestimate sleep apnea if you hardly sleep)
• A home test came back negative, inconclusive or technically poor, but symptoms persist. The AASM guideline recommends moving to a full in-lab study rather than repeating the home test.

A home test is more comfortable, and you sleep in your own bed. An in-lab study gives the complete picture. Neither is “better” in every case; the right one depends on you.

In a split-night study, the first part of the night is used to diagnose sleep apnea. If moderate to severe sleep apnea is clearly seen in the first two hours or so, CPAP is started for the rest of the night to find the right pressure. It saves a second night in the lab. Whether a split-night is possible depends on what the first part of the night shows.

• Pick-up or set-up: you collect the device from the clinic, or it’s set up for you . Someone shows you how to put on the finger clip, nasal tube and chest belt. It takes about 10 minutes.
• At bedtime: fit the sensors yourself, switch on the device, and go to sleep as usual.
• In the morning: remove the sensors and return the device the same day.
• Analysis: the recording is scored, and Dr. Kishan reviews it.
• Results visit: you get the report and a treatment plan.

• Check-in: arrive in the evening, around 9 PM . Bring night clothes and anything you need to feel at home: your own pillow, a book.
• Set-up: a sleep technician places the sensors over about 30–45 minutes. Nothing hurts. The paste used on the scalp washes out with shampoo.
• Sleep: lights out at your usual bedtime. You can turn over and get up to use the toilet; the technician can unhook you.
• Through the night: the technician watches the recording from another room, and can fix a loose sensor without fully waking you.
• Morning: sensors off by about 6–7 AM, and you can go straight to work.

• Take your usual medicines, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Tell us about any sleeping pills, sedatives or painkillers.
• No caffeine after lunch: tea, coffee, colas and energy drinks.
• No alcohol on the day of the test.
• Avoid daytime naps on the day of the test.
• Wash and dry your hair. Skip oils and gels, which stop the sensors sticking. Remove nail polish from one finger for the oxygen clip.
• Eat dinner as usual before you come.
• If you have a bad cold or blocked nose, call to ask whether to reschedule. A blocked nose can change the result.
• If you already use CPAP, bring your machine and mask only if you’ve been asked to.

This is the most common worry, and it’s usually fine. Most people sleep less well than usual on the first night, but still sleep enough for a useful result. Sleep apnea tends to show up whenever you do sleep. If you sleep too little for a reliable answer, the test can be repeated. Keeping to your usual bedtime, avoiding naps and skipping caffeine all help.

Dr. Kishan goes through the report with you in person, but here are the main numbers you’ll see:

What changes the cost:

• Level of study: a home test costs less than a full in-lab study.
• Split-night or second night: a separate CPAP titration night adds to the cost.
• Hospital vs clinic: hospital-based studies usually cost more.

Published price ranges for sleep studies in Hyderabad run from roughly ₹6,000 to ₹30,000, depending on the type and the setting. A home test sits at the lower end, and a full attended study in a hospital at the upper end.

Insurance: outpatient sleep studies are usually not covered unless your policy includes OPD or diagnostic benefits. Check with your insurer before booking.

• No sleep apnea, or very mild: we look at other causes of tiredness or snoring, such as thyroid problems, anaemia, insomnia or a blocked nose.
• Mild to moderate sleep apnea: options include CPAP, weight management, positional therapy and an oral appliance, depending on your symptoms and the pattern on the study.
• Moderate to severe sleep apnea: CPAP is usually the first treatment. The mask is fitted, the pressure set, and follow-up is planned.
• A different sleep disorder: further tests or referral, as needed.

sleep apnea treatment options

Children with loud nightly snoring, breathing pauses, restless sleep, bedwetting after being dry, or attention and behaviour problems may need a sleep study. Children’s studies are scored differently from adults’, and are usually done in a lab with a parent staying overnight.

sleep apnea treatment in Hyderabad