The sleep laboratory consists of the patient testing area, the attending personel and the recording apparatus. Among the various types of sleep studies, standard polysomnography, which records parameters of sleep and respiration, is considered as the gold standard. Manual scoring is necessary, additional to the automated scoring in order to avoid serious mistakes. Before the use of CPAP at home, a sleep study titration of the optimum pressure and control of possible side effects should be performed. In Greece, polysomnography obligatorily includes parameters of sleep and respiration. The sleep laboratories must reside in hospitals and the physician running a sleep lab must have a proved training and experience in this field. Pneumon 2004, 17(2):138-144.