A Sleep Apnea Survivor's Guide

A physician is the only one that can accurately diagnose the disorder, so if changing these things don’t work, a more moderate to severe form of sleep apnea may be at play and a consultation and perhaps a sleep study may be in order.

To evaluate for sleep apnea, a series of questions are asked of the person suspected of having the disorder and their partner, snoring is usually the most obvious clue. Depending on the answers given, a physician may propose a number of different routes for treatment. A sleep study is usually the easiest was to determine sleep apnea and can either be conducted at a sleep center or hospital with medical professionals or the test can also be conducted in the subjects own home.

There are different types of sleep studies pertaining to the severity of the degree of sleep apnea involved and will be linked to the treatment protocol of the patient. A diagnostic PSG involves a polysomnography which is the main way to detect sleep apnea. It’s a through test that monitors and records eye movement, blood pressure, heart rate, muscle movement, the electrical activity in the brain as well as blood oxygen saturation levels, breathing and the airflow through the nose and mouth.