TOSCA Sleep Study
A TOSCA sleep study is an overnight test that measures how well you breathe during sleep. It uses a comfortable, non-invasive sensor that can be worn at home to track carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in your blood.
What is a TOSCA sleep study?
A TOSCA sleep study is an overnight test that measures how well you’re breathing while you sleep by measuring carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in your blood. It’s designed to detect breathing problems that can be missed by standard sleep tests that only look at oxygen levels.
Carbon dioxide is produced when your body uses oxygen. If your breathing becomes too slow or shallow during sleep, carbon dioxide can build up. This is called hypoventilation and can lead to symptoms such as morning headaches, daytime sleepiness, poor concentration, and feeling unrefreshed after sleep.
The TOSCA system measures carbon dioxide and oxygen levels through the skin using a small sensor placed on your earlobe. The sensor gently warms the skin to improve blood flow, allowing accurate, continuous monitoring without needles or blood tests. As both carbon dioxide and oxygen levels are measured continuously, the test provides a clear picture of your overnight breathing. A TOSCA study can be especially valuable if you have symptoms that continue after non-invasive ventilation, such as CPAP or BiPAP, or to check if these treatments are working properly.
The study is carried out at home, so you can sleep in your own bed. In some cases, it can be combined with a NOX T3 sleep study (which uses a small probe in your nose and a sensor attached to your finger) in a single night for a more detailed assessment.
At Welbeck, our respiratory and sleep clinicians work closely with specialist sleep physiologists to deliver TOSCA sleep studies through our dedicated Sleep Centre. Using state-of-the-art monitoring equipment and a supported home set-up, we focus on providing you with accurate, rapid results without having to sleep away from home.
More information
Before the test, you’ll have a consultation with a sleep or respiratory clinician. They’ll review your symptoms, medical history, medications, and any previous sleep or breathing tests. This ensures the study is appropriate and tailored to your needs.
On the evening of your study, a member of the Welbeck team will visit your home or hotel (location dependent), explain the equipment, answer questions, and set everything up for you. This typically takes around 30 minutes. If we cannot visit your home, the test can be performed in a clinical setting.
The TOSCA system uses a small sensor placed on your earlobe or chest, which is connected to a monitor that can be placed nearby, for example, on a bedside table. Once everything is set up, you’ll be able to sleep as normal in your own bed. The sensor gently warms the skin, and the cables are designed to allow normal movement during sleep. Most people find the system comfortable and quickly forget it’s there.
The following morning, a member of our team will return to remove the sensor and collect the equipment. A specialist sleep physiologist will analyse the data from your study and send a report to your referring clinician, who will explain what the findings mean and discuss next steps with you. If your study is combined with a NOX T3 study, both datasets are reviewed together to give a more complete assessment of sleep-related breathing.
A TOSCA sleep study is a very safe, non-invasive test.
Possible risks and side effects are minimal, but may include:
mild skin redness or irritation at the earlobe sensor site
temporary warmth at the sensor location
These effects are short-lived and settle quickly once the sensor is removed. If you have sensitive skin or a known allergy to adhesives, let your clinician know before the study so adjustments can be made.
There’s usually no special preparation needed for a TOSCA sleep study. You can eat and drink as normal and take your usual medications, unless advised otherwise.
On the day of the study, it helps to:
avoid heavy creams or oils on your ears
wear comfortable nightwear
make sure there’s a clear space near your bed for the equipment
If you use CPAP, BiPAP, oxygen, or other breathing support, your clinician will tell you whether to use it during the study or not.
After your TOSCA sleep study, you can return to normal activities straight away once the equipment is removed.
The results of the study will be available within 48 hours, and your consultant will arrange a follow-up appointment to discuss them with you and talk about any next steps.
The cost of a private TOSCA sleep study is £900. If your clinician recommends combining it with a NOX T3 sleep study in a single overnight assessment, the total cost is £1395.
At Welbeck, our respiratory and sleep consultants are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.
With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.
All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.
To book a TOSCA sleep study, you must be referred by either your GP or a specialist following a consultation with them. Self-referrals are not accepted for this treatment.
If you would like to schedule a consultation with a respiratory or sleep specialist, please get in touch to make an appointment. Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.
Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.
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Frequently asked questions
If you need to get out of bed to use the bathroom or move around briefly, you can do so carefully, as the equipment is designed to allow normal movement. Our team will explain how to move without disturbing the sensors and what to do if they’re disturbed when they visit your home to set the study up.
You don’t need a perfect night’s sleep for the study to be useful. Even short periods of sleep provide valuable information about your breathing. The TOSCA study looks at overall trends rather than a single moment, so difficulty falling asleep or waking during the night rarely affects the quality or usefulness of the results.
You must live within London for the test to take place in your home. The study needs precise calibration of the sensor to give accurate results, so a visit from our team is needed for setup. If you live outside the usual travel area for home set-up, your consultant will discuss the options with you. This may include conducting the study in a London hotel or in a clinical setting, or using an alternative sleep study.
If your study shows raised carbon dioxide levels, your clinician will discuss what this means in detail with you, and may recommend further tests to identify any underlying cause. Depending on the findings, next steps may include beginning a non-invasive ventilation therapy, such as BiPAP, to help you breathe out more effectively, or adjusting any current treatment. You’ll be guided through the options, with a clear focus on improving how you feel day to day.