Home sleep test or sleep lab: which suits you?
A home test is simpler, but it is not the right test for everyone. This is how the main guideline sorts it out.
A questionnaire is not a diagnosis
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine guideline says questionnaires and online quizzes should not be used on their own to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea. A diagnosis needs an overnight test.
Who a home test suits
The guideline says a home test, or a test in a sleep lab, suits adults who are otherwise uncomplicated and whose signs point to moderate or severe sleep apnoea.
Who should go to a sleep lab
The guideline recommends a lab test, not a home test, for people with:
- significant heart or lung disease
- a condition that weakens the breathing muscles
- long-term opioid use
- a past stroke
- severe insomnia.
If any of these apply to you, talk to your doctor before ordering a home test.
If the home test finds nothing
One night at home can miss sleep apnoea. The guideline says a home test that is negative, unclear or did not record properly should be followed by a lab test.
How common is sleep apnoea?
A New Zealand study of adults aged 30 to 59 estimated that sleep apnoea with daytime sleepiness affected about 4% of men and 1 to 2% of women, and that Māori were more likely to have it. The study is from 2009 and the overnight testing was done on 364 Wellington adults, so treat the figures as a guide.
A 2019 worldwide estimate put the number of adults aged 30 to 69 with some degree of sleep apnoea at 936 million. That figure is modelled from 17 studies, and the work was funded by a company that makes CPAP machines.
How Breathe fits in
We ask a few questions first to check a home test is suitable. Every report is reviewed by a sleep physician. See sleep tests and CPAP.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your doctor or nurse knows your situation; please talk to them before changing any treatment.
Sources
- Kapur VK and others. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2017. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6506
- Mihaere KM and others. Obstructive sleep apnea in New Zealand adults: prevalence and risk factors among Māori and non-Māori. Sleep, 2009. doi.org/10.1093/sleep/32.7.949
- Benjafield AV and others. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2019. doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30198-5
- Health New Zealand. Obstructive sleep apnoea. healthnz.govt.nz
- Healthify. Obstructive sleep apnoea. healthify.nz
Checked November 2026. Airline and official pages change, so follow the links for the current wording.