How Do You Prepare for a Sleep Study?

The Week Before Your Study

In the week leading up to your sleep study, try to maintain your usual sleep schedule — going to bed and waking at your typical times. If you have been dramatically sleep-deprived or have had an unusually disrupted week, let your sleep center know, as this may affect the interpretation of results. If you use a sleep diary, continuing to fill it in through the study date provides useful comparative data.

Review your medication list with your prescriber and the sleep center before the study. Some medications significantly affect sleep architecture or the specific measurements being taken. Your physician will advise you whether to take, skip, or adjust the timing of any medications on the study day. Do not stop medications that require medical supervision without guidance.

The Day of Your Study

On the day of your sleep study, avoid caffeine after noon (or ideally altogether on study day). Caffeine delays sleep onset and reduces slow-wave sleep, which would make your study less representative of your typical sleep. Avoid alcohol on study day — alcohol significantly alters sleep architecture and would confound the results.

Wash and thoroughly dry your hair before arriving at the sleep lab. Hair products — including oils, conditioners, gels, sprays, and dry shampoo — significantly interfere with electrode adhesion and EEG signal quality. This is the preparation step that most frequently creates technical problems with studies. Arrive with clean, dry, product-free hair and no face creams or moisturizers.

Eat a normal-sized dinner at your usual time. Avoid large, heavy, or very spicy meals that might cause gastrointestinal discomfort during the night. Arrive at the scheduled time — electrode application takes 30–60 minutes before lights-out, and arriving late reduces the amount of sleep that can be recorded.

What to Bring

Bring comfortable two-piece pajamas or loose-fitting sleepwear. Two-piece clothing (a top and loose pants) allows the attachment of respiratory effort belts without difficulty. Avoid one-piece sleepwear or sleeping in underwear only — both make electrode and equipment attachment more difficult.

Bring your usual medications, a book or quiet entertainment for the time before lights-out, your pillow if you prefer it (many labs encourage this to improve comfort), any positive airway pressure equipment you are already using (if applicable), and a change of clothes for the morning. Most sleep labs have private bathrooms and showers available.