What is a drawback of ambulatory sleep studies?

Ambulatory sleep studies are designed to be more convenient for patients, allowing them to undergo sleep assessments in their own environment rather than in a sleep lab. However, one significant drawback is that they cannot collect all the necessary data needed for a comprehensive sleep evaluation. Traditional sleep studies (polysomnography) conducted in a lab can monitor a wide range of parameters, including brain activity, eye movements, muscle tone, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and more, all at once. In contrast, ambulatory studies often rely on limited monitoring devices that may not account for all these variables. This limitation can lead to a less complete understanding of a patient's sleep disorders, potentially resulting in insufficient diagnostic information and treatment recommendations.