Apprehensive about sleep apnea? Residence-based testing is now the norm – . Well being Weblog

If your bed partner complains about your loud snoring, it can be a bothersome annoyance – or something more serious. Heavy snoring, interrupted by snorting, wheezing and short pauses in breathing, is the hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea.

Although this condition is most common in men over 40 who are overweight or obese, it can affect people of all ages and sizes. The resulting daytime sleepiness – a direct consequence of a lack of good quality sleep – can make people moody and forgetful. More worrisome, car accidents are two to three times more common in people with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can also increase blood pressure and increase the risk of blocked heart arteries, irregular heartbeat, heart failure, and stroke.

What is the STOPBANG test for sleep apnea?

The easy-to-remember acronym STOPBANG can help you decide whether it makes sense to speak to a doctor about a sleep study to determine if you have sleep apnea. It is helpful to receive reviews from someone who can see you asleep.

A yes answer to three or more of these questions suggests possible sleep apnea. Ask your doctor if you should do a sleep study.
S. Snoring: Have you been told that you snore?
T. Tired: Do you often feel tired during the day?
Ö Obstruction: Do you know if you briefly stop breathing while you sleep, or has someone seen you do so?
P. Pressure: Do you have high blood pressure or are you taking medication for high blood pressure?
B. Body Mass Index (BMI): Is your BMI 30 or higher? (You can find a calculator at www.health.harvard.edu/bmi.)
A Age: Are you 50 or older
N. Neck: Is your neck size larger than 16 inches (women) or 17 inches (men)?
G Gender: Are you male?

Sleep monitoring can be done at home

Diagnosing sleep apnea is less complicated than many people think. In the past, diagnosing this condition has always required an overnight stay in a sleep laboratory. "Today, about 60% to 70% of sleep studies for suspected sleep apnea are done with home testing," says Dr. Sogol Javaheri, sleep specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital at .. If your symptoms suggest moderate to severe sleep apnea and you don't have any other significant medical problems, monitoring sleep at home for detecting apnea is almost as accurate as a night in a sleep lab, she says.

So if you suspect you have sleep apnea, ask your doctor for an evaluation. Or if your health insurance allows you to see a specialist without a referral, you can start there instead. “Sleep specialists are more familiar with insurance-related obstacles and how to order tests to avoid problems and delays in care,” says Dr. Javaheri.

For the test, you will receive a small, lightweight monitor, a belt that you wrap around your midsection, a tiny finger clip that monitors your oxygen, and an airflow sensor that can be placed under your nose. These sensors and devices measure your oxygen saturation, heart rate and air flow, as well as chest and stomach movements and your position during sleep.

A key benefit of home testing is that it costs between $ 150 and $ 500 compared to testing in a sleep laboratory, which is typically over $ 1,000. But the best part about home sleep testing is convenience. You sleep in your own bed, not an unfamiliar hospital bed, and take the test on your schedule. However, you will need to borrow the monitor from a hospital sleep laboratory and may have to wait a few weeks to receive it. If you are later diagnosed with sleep apnea, at-home testing is also an easy way for a doctor to see how well your treatment is working.

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