The Dreem Health Home Sleep Test Device: How the Sunrise Works

Tests have always made me nervous. The hours spent studying, the fear of filling in the wrong bubble on the multiple choice sheet, and the ticking clock in an otherwise silent classroom still fill my nightmares. While sleep apnea tests luckily don’t look like that, in-lab studies still require a long wait, sleeping in a new environment, and wires hooked up to various body parts. Fortunately, there is an alternative: using a  home sleep test device, such as the one provided through Dreem Health.

Dreem Health’s Sunrise Sleep Test is an FDA-cleared home sleep test device that can assess for signs of sleep apnea. That sentence explains the basics, but you probably still have questions. 

Perhaps you’re asking, “Ok, but what does the device look like?” or “how exactly does it work?” Or, if you're skeptical like me, your burning concern could be “does this actually detect sleep apnea to the same standard as an in-lab study?” 

The short answer is that the Sunrise Sleep Test is an accurate, accessible option to detect sleep apnea. Unlike other devices (including in-lab sleep studies), it tracks sleep patterns for two nights instead of one, increasing the likelihood of detecting sleep apnea since the condition can vary from night to night. The long answer is a little more nuanced, and exactly what this article covers.

What is a home sleep test device?

At a high level, an in-home sleep study is a test that assesses metrics like breathing and jaw movement in order to determine if someone has sleep apnea. These tests can be as accurate as in-lab sleep studies. The Sunrise Sleep Test, for example, predicts sleep apnea with the same accuracy of an in-lab sleep study, according to a 2022 study in Nature and Science of Sleep.

Another attractive feature of taking a sleep apnea test at home is that you get to spend the night in your own bed, says Brandi Campbell, APRN, FNP-BC, the nurse practitioner clinic lead at Dreem Health. “Patients often sleep better in an environment they’re comfortable in,” she says, “Some people really can’t sleep in environments that they’ve never been in before.”

However, not all home sleep test (HST) devices are created equal. That’s why you want to do a little research on a device before choosing to use it. First, look for a device that’s FDA-cleared, meaning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reviewed it and determined it to be “substantially equivalent” to other devices on the market.

When it comes to sleep testing, there are four device classifications to note. Type I is an in-lab polysonography, and the other three are for HST devices used at home. Missouri Medicine outlines those types as: 

• Type II: Portable polysonography, which tests the same sleep apnea-related metrics as type I (and this is the classification of the Sunrise Sleep Test).

• Type III: Tests four to six markers, usually oxygen saturation, two respiratory variables, and heart rate.

• Type IV: Tests one or two metrics, typically oxygen saturation and airflow.

What is the Sunrise Sleep Test?

Dreem Health uses its own Sunrise Sleep Test, a small, compact device that sits on the chin. The size of the device may seem like a small thing (pun intended), but it actually makes a huge difference in how someone sleeps. 

One of the complaints Campbell often hears from patients about other at-home tests is that the device comes with cords and things to put on your finger, wear on your nose, and/or around your chest. “A lot of times those things can fall off or get pulled off in your sleep,” says Campbell, “But with the Sunrise Sleep Test, patients feel like it's out of the way.” 

Plus, if you regularly get up in the middle of the night, such as to go to the bathroom or grab water, the Sunrise Sleep Test can move with you. There’s not a million wires to unplug from. 

For some patients, the small, discrete device may also lead to more conclusive results. Cambell recounts that she’s worked with patients who attempted in-lab sleep studies or even other home sleep studies, but had inconclusive results because they pulled it off during the night or couldn’t sleep hooked up to so many things. Those same patients will come back to her and say they could just forget about the Sunrise Sleep Test and sleep like normal.

What does the Sunrise Sleep Test measure?

The Sunrise at-home sleep study equipment detects when you’re awake or asleep, as well as when you’re in different sleep stages, says Campbell. It does so through a few key metrics.

Mandibular jaw movement

When we sleep, the jaw moves slightly to help us breathe, per a 2023 article in Frontiers in Sleep. If that movement falls outside the expected range, it’s an indicator that someone’s breathing is different than it should be, which could be a sign of sleep apnea. 

Measuring mandibular jaw movement allows the Sunrise Sleep Test to detect subtle airflow dips. Most other devices on the market don’t measure these dips, meaning they’re missing valuable sleep data.

Apneas and hypopneas

By measuring jaw movement and breathing patterns, the Sunrise Sleep Test can track: 

• Apneas (how often you stop breathing for ten seconds or longer)

• Hypopneas (when breathing is partially blocked for at least ten seconds)

Together, the two inform the apnea-hypopnea index. According to research in Sleep, the number of AHIs are reported by hour and how many you have determines the severity of sleep apnea:

• 0 to 5 per hour: Normal breathing

• 5 to 15 per hour: Mild sleep apnea

• 15 to 30 per hour: Moderate sleep apnea

• 30 or more per hour: Severe sleep apnea

Blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂)

The Sunrise Sleep Test also measures blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂). While this metric isn’t included  in all sleep studies, it can provide important information about how sleep apnea is affecting someone’s blood oxygen levels, according to a 2022 study in the Nature and Science of Sleep. 

Blood oxygen levels are an important measure of how much oxygen someone has in their blood, which can indicate how their respiratory and cardiovascular systems are working.

Together, blood oxygen saturation, mandibular jaw movement, and the apnea-hypopnea index offer a complete picture to clinicians, without a single wire or lab visit on your end.

How accurate is the Sunrise Sleep Test?

“The Sunrise device has a 95% chance of correctly distinguishing between someone who does not have sleep apnea and mild sleep apnea,” says Campbell, “And a 93% chance of correctly identifying moderate to severe sleep apnea.” Those stats have been validated against more than ten years of in-lab sleep data.

While there is quite a bit of peer-reviewed medical research on the Sunrise Sleep Test, here are three stand-out studies to explore:

• An article in Sleep assessed the Sunrise device’s interpretation of mandibular jaw movement data and determined the device detected sleep apnea severity similarly to an independent clinician who manually interpreted the same dataset. 

• A clinical trial in Frontiers in Neuroscience reinforced that the Sunrise device predicts the presence and severity of sleep apnea. 

• A clinical trial with pediatric patients, published in Pediatric Pulmonology, found Sunrise had a similar accuracy rate for detecting sleep apnea in children as in-lab sleep studies. 

A big part of why this device is so accurate is that patients test for two nights instead of one. Sleep apnea can vary from night to night, explains Campbell. And per a 2025 review in Communications Medicine, there are quite a few things that can make sleep apnea severity vary: allergies, stress, room temperature, and alcohol consumption, to name a few. Campbell adds that in women, sleep apnea varies even more since hormone fluctuations influence it too.

All this to say, a two-night sleep test provides a more complete picture. Campbell has even seen patients who had mild sleep apnea one night and severe the next.

How does the Sunrise Sleep Test work?

The Sunrise Sleep Test is not a  device you add to a virtual shopping cart. It’s a credible health test shipped to your home, and a process guided by a sleep medicine expert.

Step 1: Schedule an initial consultation

The process starts with an initial telehealth consultation where a healthcare provider assesses if this test is appropriate, recommending your next step.

Step 2: Wait for the device

If deemed medically appropriate, the Sunrise Sleep Test is shipped to your home. There’s also an app you can download that’s specific to the device.

Step 3: Connect to bluetooth

The Sunrise Sleep Test connects via bluetooth to your phone, where the app can track sleep data. But the device isn’t the same as a wearable watch; the data it tracks is medical-grade.

Step 4: Sleep for two nights

The next step is the actual study. Just don’t forget to put on the Sunrise device for those two nights. Campbell says the device has adhesive tape that makes it easy to take on and off.

Step 5: Enter information in the app.

In the morning, the app prompts the users to answer a few questions about how they slept and record their habits from the night before, such as if they drank alcohol and what medications they took. The healthcare provider can then use this information to more accurately assess their sleep health. 

It also provides a space for any additional comments. “So if there's something that they want us to know about,” Campbell says, “they can note it in the app.”

Step 6: Clinical interpretation and results

A clinician reviews the data and interprets it. They then invite you to set up a telehealth appointment to review results and discuss what comes next. The turnaround time on this entire process may be as much as 7x faster than a traditional clinic.

Ready to get started? Book a consultation with Dreem Health. 

Is the Sunrise Sleep Test covered by insurance?

Dreem Health accepts many major insurance plans, and the company operates in all 50 states. Some, but not all, insurance providers that can cover this test include:

• Medicare (both Original Medicare and Advantage plans)

• Cigna

• United Healthcare 

• Aetna

• Anthem 

• Humana

For the test to be covered, it must be deemed medically necessary. A Dreem Health sleep specialist will determine this during an initial consultation and complete any necessary authorization forms. This means you don’t have to spend hours navigating insurance paperwork.

When would an in-lab sleep study be recommended instead?

A home sleep test is suitable for most adults with suspected sleep apnea. It’s convenient, accurate, and allows someone to skip the waitlist for an in-lab test. But even HST devices have their limits. 

At-home tests are only designed to detect sleep apnea, though the data may help indicate if other conditions (insomnia, parasomnia, narcolepsy, etc.) are present. However, an in-lab study is required to officially diagnose other sleep conditions. 

Deciding whether an in-lab or at-home test is right for you is a big decision, but you don’t have to make it alone. If you get your sleep test through Dreem Health, a sleep medicine specialist will assess which option is appropriate in an initial telehealth consultation. 

The bottom line

The Sunrise Sleep Test has the golden trifecta for a health test: it’s comfortable, accurate, convenient, and fast. The device may be a suitable option for someone who suspects they have sleep apnea and wants answers without waiting months to visit a sleep lab. To learn more about Dreem Health, book an initial consultation with a sleep medicine specialist.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How long does it take to get results from the Sunrise Sleep Test?

After you take a sleep test with Dreem Health, their licensed sleep specialist team will review the results. They'll typically share those results within a few days alongside a personalized treatment plan, whether that’s CPAP therapy or another way to improve sleep. 

Do I need to return the Sunrise device after the test?

After the two night test, you return the Sunrise device. The test comes with a prepaid return label, and the company recycles used tests.

What if the Sunrise Sleep Test doesn’t detect sleep apnea?

The Sunrise device has detected sleep apnea with the same accuracy as an in-lab polysomnography test in many clinical trials. This means that cases where sleep apnea isn't diagnosed are rare, though they still happen. In these cases, your Dreem Health sleep specialist will help you determine next steps, which may be an in-lab test that can assess for more sleep conditions.