If you suspect you have sleep apnea, don’t hesitate to contact a doctor to help you sleep better today! Sleep apneas are a serious medical condition that can have a big impact on your quality of life. After all, the meaning of sleep apnea is that you may stop breathing in your sleep! This is a serious health condition and should be treated as such. If you need treatment and information about sleep apnea, continue reading for tips on how to access care and how to know what to expect in your care journey!
Guide to Sleep Apnea Tests and Diagnosis
What is a Sleep Test?
If your doctor determines that your symptoms might be suggestive of sleep apnea, your doctor might order a polysomnogram (PSG). This sort of test could be done at a sleep center, but could also potentially be completed at home. The basics of a polysomnogram (also called a “sleep study”) are connecting the patient to electrodes to analyze the electric signals that the patient’s brain transmits during sleep. It also records electronically the patient’s physical activities, such as breathing patterns and tossing and turning.
What Happens During a Sleep Test?
If you show symptoms of a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, this is a serious condition that would merit a sleep test. You should show up to your sleep test without having had any caffeine or alcohol that day. If you take medications every day, follow your doctor’s advice about whether they are suitable to take prior to your sleep test.
You should expect to bring comfortable clothing to sleep in, a relaxation aid such as a book or a magazine, and even some specialized items such as a special type of pillow. Whatever you typically need to aid your sleep would be important to share with your doctor and care team, so that they can advise if you should have it on hand during your test.
If you go to a sleep center lab, you will have a private room. Your room in the sleep center will also have a private bathroom for your use, although you will need to alert the sleep technicians that you need to use the bathroom so they can disconnect your monitors. Thankfully, your technicians will be nearby in a monitoring center, keeping track of your monitoring equipment’s recordings and making sure you are not uncomfortable. Although the equipment may look uncomfortable and cumbersome, it usually does not prevent patients from falling asleep.
What Happens After Your Sleep Test?
After your study, you can expect to immediately return to your day-to-day activities. Because this test is non-invasive, it shouldn’t have a huge impact on your body. Of course, your sleep study will generate potentially hundreds of pages worth of sleep study data sent to your doctor. And the sleep technician and your doctor will need to interpret it.
Some of the information that could be obtained would be the duration of your sleep stages, how regularly you wake during a night of sleep, and your breathing patterns to see if you have any trouble breathing. Other records would include snoring, your body’s position, how much your limbs move in the night, and any unusual brain scans.
Get Effective Sleep Apnea Treatment ASAP
Has your sleep technician and doctor determined that you have sleep apnea? There are treatments available! These treatments could include simple changes such as increasing healthy habits, losing weight, or changing your sleep position. However, if your issues persist, you might need a medical device called a CPAP machine, or even surgery.
As you can see, sleep apnea is a serious health condition. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Mayank Shukla today to learn more about treatment and information about sleep apnea, and sign up for a customized treatment that can benefit the health of your sleep for many years to come.
