How a doctor diagnoses sleep apnea depends on your medical history and family history. They will also undergo a medical examination.
They will study your symptoms. If they think these signs, symptoms, and patterns fit this situation, they will recommend you to conduct a sleep study.
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Sleep studies are measurements that show your sleep patterns. The results show your sleep time and sleep quality.
If you have any sleep problems, the research will show the results. If you are referred for a sleep study, it is important to complete it.
This study can determine if you have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders increase the health risks of stroke, high blood pressure, and heart attack.
Doctors with experience in reading sleep research can easily diagnose sleep apnea and provide treatment to help you sleep better at night.
It is important to inform your doctor of any bad sleep habits you have experienced.
They will include daytime fatigue and chronic sleepiness. Also, if you have trouble falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night and cannot fall asleep again, please tell your doctor.
You may have a sleep disorder that you don't know about. A doctor who has experience with sleep disorders will ask about your sleep schedule.
They will also ask your family about any chronic snoring they have dealt with.
Doctors with experience in sleep disorders are called sleep specialists. They can easily diagnose and treat those who have sleep problems.
To help experts determine what happened, you should create and keep a sleep diary for no more than two weeks.
This is a prelude to studying sleep.
The following are some of the questions you might see in your sleep diary:
• The time you went to bed the night before
• The time you woke up in the morning
• How many hours you slept the night before How long did it take to fall asleep?
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• What medicine did you take the night before
• If you were fully awake when you woke up in the morning
• If you were awake and tired when you woke up in the morning
• If you were sleepy when you woke up in the morning
• How much caffeine did you drink during the day Drinks
• The amount of alcohol you drink during the day
• The time you drink alcohol
• The number of naps
Your doctor may also ask you the following questions:
• Snoring
• Wheezing
• Headache in the morning
If the diary results are certain:
• Naps often
• You wake up more than a few times at night
• You need more than half an hour to coordinate sleepiness
• Always drowsy during the day
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Sleep Apnea Physical Examination During the physical examination, your doctor will examine your throat, nose, and mouth area.
They will look for expansion or additional organization.
In children diagnosed with sleep apnea, their tonsils usually enlarge. With them, in addition to examination and medical history, it does not take much to provide a diagnosis.
For adults, the doctor will look for an enlarged uvula, which is a piece of tissue that hangs down in the middle of the back of the mouth.
They also look for the soft palate at the back of the throat, in this area called the roof of the mouth.
How Family Members Can Help Detect Sleep Apnea
Why most people don’t know they have sleep apnea, and it’s important that someone can detect abnormalities while you sleep.
This person does not know that their breathing can start and stop at any time during the night.
When someone tells them they are chronic and intense snorers, they don't even think about it.
There are a few things family members can do to help:
• Let them know that they have a long-term case of loud snoring.
• Ask them to see a doctor.
• If they are diagnosed with sleep apnea, it is recommended that they follow the instructions, including any follow-up and postoperative treatment.
• Accompany them emotionally. This can be a difficult time for them, and they need all the support they can get.
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How to Diagnose Sleep Apnea through Sleep Research Sleep research is usually conducted in a sleep center or sleep laboratory.
This may or may not be in the hospital. If the study is done in a sleep center, you may need to stay overnight.
However, this is not always set in stone. The advantage of sleep research is that you won't feel any pain.
The only thing that can affect you is skin irritation caused by the sensor. When the sensor is removed from your skin, you will no longer feel irritation.
If you are doing sleep research during the day, please bring a book or magazine to avoid getting bored.
Although the risks of sleep studies are small, these studies require time (at least a few hours).
There are different tests for sleep research. One of them is called poly-SOM-nogram or PSG test.
The test is performed in a sleep center or laboratory.
Most likely, this test will take overnight. You will install electrodes and monitors on the scalp, face, chest, limbs and fingers.
While you sleep, the following items will be monitored:
• Eye movement
• Brain activity
• Muscle activity
• Heart rate
• Heart rhythm
• Blood pressure
• Air flow and outside the lungs
• How much oxygen is in your blood
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When you sleep, on duty People will use sensors to monitor you when you sleep at night.
After the PSG is complete, a sleep specialist will review the results with you. They will be able to determine if you have sleep apnea and whether it is severe.
Based on the results, they will be able to formulate a treatment plan.
Multiple sleep latency tests or MSLT are used to determine how sleepy you are during the day.
This test is usually performed after PSG. The device will be placed on your scalp for subsequent use.
To pass this test, you need to take at least five naps of 20 minutes each.
You should do every 2 hours while you are alert.
The tester will check how long it takes you to fall asleep and how long you take a nap. For people who fall asleep for less than five minutes, they are more likely to be candidates for sleep disorders.
After the test is completed, the sleep specialist will provide you with the results and discuss treatment options with you.
Where to Find a Sleep Specialist
If you need help finding a sleep specialist, there are several organizations that can help you, such as:
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)
• American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM)
• American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) These organizations It is composed of doctors, researchers and dentists who work with people affected by this sleep disorder.
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They are committed to promoting the advancement of sleep medicine and sleep research.
Doctors and researchers who serve on relevant committees are considered to be
"committee certification" for sleep medicine.
ABSM maintains an up-to-date list of sleep experts. They can be located by state or by name.
AADSM maintains an up-to-date list of dentists who specialize in treating sleep apnea patients through the use of oral instruments.