5 ms·

In the US, the author would have had a sleep study done and it would have been diagnosed in a day. Do they not have those in the UK?

qwytw 4y ago
They do. You just have to either pay for one yourself or wait half a year (or maybe way more?) for NHS to provide it.
nerdix 4y ago
Isn't a full sleep study test pretty expensive in the US? I went to a sleep specialist once and the cost of a full overnight polysomnogram was nearly $3000. I opted for a much cheaper at home test from my GP. Showed no signs of sleep apnea but I worry about the accuracy compared to a full study.
- Smaug123 4y ago
  They're pretty damn expensive in the UK, certainly - around £2500 a couple of years ago in central London. (It would have been much cheaper for me to just buy a CPAP and try it out, than to have a polysomnography, but it's notionally forbidden.)
- amanj41 4y ago
  I'm in US and took both a home test and overnight polysomnogram. Both were fully covered my by insurance. My current insurance is definitely not top of the line either
leviathant 4y ago
In the US, I went in for a sleep study and had to fight for it. "You're not obese or old" yes but both my parents (admittedly old, but not obese) have CPAPs, and my wife says I stop breathing at night. "Are you sure?" Well, sir, that's why I would like to do a study. I had an overnight sleep study scheduled several weeks later, during which time my insurance provider at work changed, and I had to do the process again, and this time only got a take home kit, and just missed the criteria for getting a CPAP. Years later I went looking for alternate routes, which means paying out of pocket for a CPAP and accessories... But sleeping better and being more healthy.
sfteus 4y ago
Anecdotally, my wife was diagnosed in the US with sleep apnea about 2 years ago. This included multiple GP visits to even get an at-home sleep study that came up negative, us having to purchase an additional at-home sleep study out of pocket that came up positive, and an overnight sleep study. The overnight results gave a diagnosis of severe sleep apnea. The entire process from start to finish took at least 3 months. Her insurance fought every step of the way, despite having half-decent insurance as a hospital employee. They claimed that her BMI was not high enough to have sleep apnea, and ignored the family history (both parents, 3 grand parents, one sibling, three cousins).

qwytw 4y ago

They do. You just have to either pay for one yourself or wait half a year (or maybe way more?) for NHS to provide it.

nerdix 4y ago

Isn't a full sleep study test pretty expensive in the US? I went to a sleep specialist once and the cost of a full overnight polysomnogram was nearly $3000. I opted for a much cheaper at home test from my GP. Showed no signs of sleep apnea but I worry about the accuracy compared to a full study.

Smaug123 4y ago
They're pretty damn expensive in the UK, certainly - around £2500 a couple of years ago in central London. (It would have been much cheaper for me to just buy a CPAP and try it out, than to have a polysomnography, but it's notionally forbidden.)
amanj41 4y ago
I'm in US and took both a home test and overnight polysomnogram. Both were fully covered my by insurance. My current insurance is definitely not top of the line either

leviathant 4y ago

In the US, I went in for a sleep study and had to fight for it. "You're not obese or old" yes but both my parents (admittedly old, but not obese) have CPAPs, and my wife says I stop breathing at night. "Are you sure?" Well, sir, that's why I would like to do a study. I had an overnight sleep study scheduled several weeks later, during which time my insurance provider at work changed, and I had to do the process again, and this time only got a take home kit, and just missed the criteria for getting a CPAP. Years later I went looking for alternate routes, which means paying out of pocket for a CPAP and accessories... But sleeping better and being more healthy.

sfteus 4y ago

Anecdotally, my wife was diagnosed in the US with sleep apnea about 2 years ago. This included multiple GP visits to even get an at-home sleep study that came up negative, us having to purchase an additional at-home sleep study out of pocket that came up positive, and an overnight sleep study. The overnight results gave a diagnosis of severe sleep apnea. The entire process from start to finish took at least 3 months. Her insurance fought every step of the way, despite having half-decent insurance as a hospital employee. They claimed that her BMI was not high enough to have sleep apnea, and ignored the family history (both parents, 3 grand parents, one sibling, three cousins).