Diagnosing Sleep Apnea
Peter Lenkefi
If you have noticed a pattern of heavy snoring, shortness of
breath or a choking sensation during the night, then you may have
sleep apnea. Most people thing that snoring is just snoring, but
it can actually be a warning sign of something much more serious.
Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that could lead to
heart problems, an increased likelihood of having a stroke or
other ailment. If not treated properly, the sufferer could
clearly face serious health problems.
In order to properly diagnose sleep apnea, a physician will ask a
series of questions and possibly order a sleep study. This is
what happens when a potential sleep apnea victim visit’s a sleep
center for one night. During that night, they are hooked up to
various monitoring devices, which keeps a close watch on their
sleeping patterns, breathing and snoring. The physician
carefully reviews the results and either makes a positive
diagnosis for sleep apnea or informs the patient that he/she
tested negative for the disorder.
It is very important that sleep apnea be diagnosed as early as
possible. A spouse may be your best source of information for
early warning signs, such as heavy snoring, pauses in breathing,
etc. The next step will be patient awareness, which may entail
the patient realizing that he/she is exhausted during the day,
unable to concentrate on normal activities and may have
personality changes. These are due to lack of sleep, which is
what happens when a sleep apnea sufferer suddenly awakens with
difficulty breathing. A sleep apnea sufferer will completely
stop breathing on more than one occasion throughout the night,
which may cause them to wake up frequently. Even if the do not
recall what happened, they are not receiving a quality night’s
sleep.
Additional warning signs, but not necessarily symptoms, include
being overweight or obese, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol,
allergies, constantly sleeping on the back, etc. These may be a
few of the factors that lead up to sleep apnea and, as a result,
often have a hand in it’s prevention. By losing weight, giving
up cigarettes and alcohol, ridding the home of allergens and
sleeping on the side, sleep apnea may soon be a thing of the
past.
This article is intended for informational purposes only. It
should not be used as, or in place of, professional medical
advice. Before beginning any treatment for snoring, please
consult a doctor for a proper diagnosis and remedy.
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