Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content

Hospital

ResearchFoundation

Text Resize

Regular Large X-Large

Colour Contrast

Default High

Accessible formats and communication supports are available, please contact accessibility@cheo.on.ca

View Our Accessibility Plan

CareersContact UsWebsite FeedbackMyChart
FR
Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Logo
Contact Us
  • Visiting CHEO
    • Accessibility
    • Amenities
    • Cold and flu season
    • COVID-19
    • Emergency care
    • Family and caregiver supports
    • Family-Centred Rounds
    • Find your doctor
    • Health Records
    • Maps and locations
    • Parking
    • Pay your bill
    • Pharmacy (Kidcare)
    • Preparing for your stay or visit
    • Visiting hours and policies
    View our Physician directory page
    Find Your Doctor Directory
  • Clinics, Services & Programs
    • Directory
    • Emergency care
    • IR/Cath and Sim Labs
    • Make a referral
    • Mental health
    • School
    • Surgical care
    • Technology Enabling Child Health Innovations (TECHi)
    • Virtual care
  • Resources and Support
    • A-Z resources
    • Community supports
    • Families First newsletter
    • Family and caregiver supports
    • Indigeneity - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Social justice
    • Patient Experience
    • Reads2CHEO
    • Transition to adult care
  • Get Involved
    • Co-op program
    • Donate
    • Family Advisory Council
    • Feedback
    • Share your voice
    • Volunteer
    • YouthNet
  • About Us
    • 1Door4Care
    • About CHEO
    • Advocacy
    • Awards, Accreditations and Designations
    • Blog
    • Careers
    • Contact us
    • Disclaimer
    • Find your doctor
    • For community physicians
    • For learners, students and residents
    • For pharmacists
    • Indigeneity - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Social justice
    • Innovation
    • Kids Come First
    • Leadership
    • Newsroom
    • Partners
    • Privacy and confidentiality
    • Reporting and statistics
    • Research and innovation
    • Social media terms of use
    • Strategy Renewal
HomeClinics, Services & ProgramsDirectorySleep Lab

Sleep Lab

Three sisters smiling at the camera

Regular Large X-Large
 
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email
Clinics, Services & Programs
    • Directory
      Toggle Section Directory Menu
      • Aakuluk clinic
      • Access Team
      • Adolescent Health Clinic
      • Anesthesiology and pain medicine
      • Audiology Clinic
      • Autism Services
        Toggle Section Autism Services Menu
        • Autism Family Advisory Committee
        • Autism FAQ
        • Contact us
        • Foundational Family Services
          Toggle Section Foundational Family Services Menu
          • Caregiver support
          • Caregiver-mediated early years services
          • School readiness services
          • Sleep support services
          • Social skills groups
        • Impact stories
        • Urgent Response Services
      • Bone Health Clinic
      • BORN Ontario
      • Cardiology Clinic
      • Centre for Healthy Active Living
      • Child and Youth Protection
      • Child Life
      • Children's Treatment Centre
      • Chronic pain service
        Toggle Section Chronic pain service Menu
        • Be sweet to babies
      • Cleft Lip and Palate
      • Clinic for Augmentative Communication
      • Complex Care Program
        Toggle Section Complex Care Program Menu
        • Complex Care Family Advisory Council
      • Coordinated Service Planning
      • Cystic Fibrosis Clinic
      • Dental Clinic
      • Dermatology Clinic
      • Development and Rehabilitation
      • Diabetes Clinic
      • Diagnostic Assessment Services
        Toggle Section Diagnostic Assessment Services Menu
        • Next steps: Lanark, Leeds and Grenville
        • Next steps: Ottawa
        • Next steps: Prescott and Russell
        • Next steps: Renfrew counties
        • Next steps: Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
      • Down Syndrome Clinic
      • Emergency care
      • Endocrinology Clinic
      • ENT and Otolaryngology
      • FASD Worker Program
      • First Words program
      • Gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition
        Toggle Section Gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition Menu
        • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Centre
      • Gender Diversity Clinic
      • Genetics Clinic
        Toggle Section Genetics Clinic Menu
        • Connective Tissue Clinic
        • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
        • Genetic Counselling
        • Hereditary Cancer Clinic
        • Prenatal testing
      • Genetics Diagnostic Laboratory
        Toggle Section Genetics Diagnostic Laboratory Menu
        • Genetic tests available
        • Genetics Laboratory frequently asked questions
        • Requisitions and forms
        • Sample requirements and shipping
      • Global health
        Toggle Section Global health Menu
        • International Adoption Clinic
      • Gynecology Clinic
      • Hematology and Oncology Program
        Toggle Section Hematology and Oncology Program Menu
        • Oncology Patient and Family Advisory Council
      • Home and Community Care
        Toggle Section Home and Community Care Menu
        • Family-Managed Home Care (FMHC)
      • Infectious Diseases Clinic
      • Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions
      • Laboratory-EORLA
      • Medical Imaging
      • Metabolics Clinic
      • Navigator Program
        Toggle Section Navigator Program Menu
        • National Newcomer Navigation Network – N4
      • Neonatal Care
        Toggle Section Neonatal Care Menu
        • Connecting babies and their caregivers
        • Neonatal Follow-up Clinic
        • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
        • NICU Family Guide
      • Nephrology Clinic
      • Neurodevelopmental Disorders Diagnostic Clinic
      • Neurology Clinic
        Toggle Section Neurology Clinic Menu
        • Transitioning to adult neurology care
      • Neuromuscular Clinic
      • Neurophysiology Lab
      • Neurosurgery Service
      • Newborn Screening
      • Nunavut Program
      • Occupational Therapy
      • Ophthalmology Clinic
      • Orthopedic, Sports injury and Scoliosis Clinic
      • Palliative Care
      • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
      • Pediatric Medicine
      • Pharmacy
      • Physiotherapy services
      • Pulmonary Function Laboratory
      • Recreation Therapy
      • Rehabilitation
      • Respirology Clinic
      • Rett syndrome
      • Rheumatology Clinic
      • School-based Rehabilitation Services
      • Sexual Assault/Abuse Care Program
      • SIM program
        Toggle Section SIM program Menu
        • Schedule a SIM
        • SIM faculty
        • SIM safety solutions
        • Simulation outreach
      • Sleep Lab
      • Speech Therapy
      • Telemedicine and tele-mental health
      • Urology Clinic
    • Emergency care
      Toggle Section Emergency care Menu
      • Emergency Department virtual care
    • IR/Cath and Sim Labs
    • Make a referral
    • Mental health
      Toggle Section Mental health Menu
      • Mental health research
      • Mental health services at CHEO
      • Waiting for mental health services
      • Young Minds Partnership Report Card 2018-2019
    • School
      Toggle Section School Menu
      • Eligibility
      • Reopening CHEO School
      • School Authority Board
      • Student transportation
    • Surgical care
      Toggle Section Surgical care Menu
      • 1. Getting ready for surgery
      • 2. One day before surgery
      • 3. Day of your surgery
      • 4. After surgery
      • Day Surgery Survey
      • Information for youth
    • Technology Enabling Child Health Innovations (TECHi)
    • Virtual care

Contact us

Receive Email Updates...

The CHEO Sleep Lab is located in clinic C20. We see children up to 18 years old with breathing abnormalities during sleep. Sleep studies are used to diagnose breathing problems associated with sleep, and to guide and adjust treatments for sleep disordered breathing such as:

  • Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy
  • Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
  • Bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP devices)

We also evaluate technology-dependent children, such as children receiving home ventilation through a tracheostomy. We also evaluate children with known or suspected central or obstructive sleep apnea, including children with:

  • underlying obesity
  • neuromuscular diseases
  • genetic syndromes
  • craniofacial anomalies.
  • Please note that there is a long waiting time for sleep studies, which may be more than 1 year.

What to expect during your stay

During your stay, the child or youth's sleep will be monitored. They will be kept overnight, with one staff monitoring up to two children. We will also look at:

  • Breathing
  • Sleep stage
  • Movement
  • Heart rate
  • Oxygen
  • Carbon dioxide levels

When you arrive, the therapist will explain the test and the equipment needed. Sleep studies are not painful. For the sleep study, we will apply sensors to different parts of your child or teen's body (this doesn't hurt). These sensors give us a lot of information about breathing during sleep. During the study, your child or teen will have:

  • Sensors on the head to monitor brain activity
  • Elastic belts around the chest and abdomen measure breathing
  • Sensors under the nose to measure airflow in and out of the nose
  • A clip on the finger or toe to measure oxygen levels
  • A microphone to record any snoring
  • Electrodes on the sides of the eyes to monitor eye movements
  • Sensors under the chin to measure muscle tone (whether or not the muscles are relaxed)

Some patients have another sensor on the chest to measure carbon dioxide (air we breathe out).

It takes about 20-30 minutes to put on all the sensors. After this, you can help your child to settle to sleep. Parents or guardians are responsible for the care of children and youth during the sleep study. There is a pull out bed for parents.

The therapist will watch patients while they sleep by video monitor from a separate room. We'll wake you and your child or teen up between 5:30- 6:00 a.m. We'll remove all sensors and you can leave the lab shortly afterwards.

What happens after your stay

After your stay, our team will follow up with you to discuss any diagnosis and next steps. We will send the results to the doctor who referred you in 4-8 weeks.

Solutions and treatment options can include:

  • Changing their sleep schedule
  • Adenoidectomy or tonsillectomies
  • Positive airway pressure (CPAP)
  • Referrals to mental health services.

Whatever your need, our team will make sure that your child is able to have a restful and peaceful sleep.

How are pediatric sleep labs different from adult labs?

Children and youth have different medical needs than adults do. These are some of the differences:

  • Diagnostic criteria's are different for children and adults
  • Our equipment needs to be specialized for children and youth
  • We may need to spend more time comforting and reassuring a nervous child or parent.
  • Children require more supervision – adult sleep labs can have one technician monitoring up to 4 patients. At CHEO, we have one technician monitoring two children.

We understand that children and youth aren't just tiny adults — to help them feel comfortable in an unfamiliar setting, they can bring some of these items with them for their stay:

  • Their own blanket
  • A favourite stuffed animal
  • A book

We also keep most of the equipment out of the room overnight, to help them sleep peacefully.

How to make an appointment

Children and youth must be referred by a physician or nurse practitioner. Please provide all available contact information for the caregivers, including cell phone numbers. Note that the Sleep Lab will not perform sleep studies on children with behavioral sleep issues, such as insomnia. Children with behavioral sleep issues can be referred to the Behavioral Sleep Clinic, part of the Respirology Clinic instead.

Depending on the referral, the CHEO Sleep Physicians may decide to see the child first in Sleep Clinic, see the child only after the sleep study or may not see them in clinic and send results back to your referring physician instead.

Please select the appropriate referral form:

Sleep Laboratory Referral Form

OR

Respirology Sleep Clinic Referral Form

Mail your referral form to:

Clinic C-9
Sleep Disorders Centre, CHEO
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1

Fax: 613-738-4865

Contact us

  • Main Clinic Reception (C9) (scheduling center) 613-737-7600 extension 2222
  • Sleep Disorders Centre Fax: 613-738-4298
  • Home Ventilation/Complex Lung Disease Respiratory Therapist: 613-737-7600 extension 2984

Front page of a resource handoutNeed more information?

Visit our online resource section to learn about a variety of health topics for children and youth and access CHEO recommended websites, books, apps, videos and more!

Resources and support

Need more information? 
Visit the sleep section to learn about a variety of health topics for children and youth and access CHEO recommended websites, books, apps, videos and more!
Resources and support

CHEO

  • Visiting CHEO
  • Clinics, Services & Programs
  • Resources and Support
  • Get Involved
  • About Us

Contact Us

CHEO
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa ON K1H 8L1
Phone: 613-737-7600
Email Us

 

Connect with us

View our Facebook Page View our Twitter Page View our Instagram Page View our YouTube Page View our LinkedIn Page

Sign up for our newsletter

twitter:1248b279-93aa-4ec9-8398-fb5ed28a6413

Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario logo

Copyright 2021 CHEO.

By GHD Digital
  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy and confidentiality
  • Website Feedback
  • Contact Us

Staff Portal

Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.