If you have been experiencing sleep difficulties, such as fatigue or a dry mouth, it is possible that you may have a sleep disorder like obstructive sleep apnea test near me. This condition is caused by the collapse of the airway in the throat which prevents adequate oxygen flow, leading to an inability to get restful sleep. In addition, the frequent pauses in breathing that occur during sleep can lead to serious health conditions.
If your symptoms suggest that you may have a sleep problem, your physician will recommend that you take a home or actigraphy test to help pinpoint problems with your breathing patterns during sleep. These tests are easy to use and can be mailed back to the lab for analysis. In addition, they can help your doctor decide if you should have an in-lab sleep study.
In a laboratory setting, an overnight polysomnography (PSG) study can provide more in-depth data about your sleep than a home or actigraphy test. PSG is an extensive test that monitors several aspects of your sleep, including the amount of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movements you have during sleep, your heart rhythms, blood pressure, and limb movements. Your physician will review the results of your in-lab sleep study and recommend a treatment plan.
A CPAP device is the most common treatment for sleep apnea, which keeps your throat open with a steady stream of pressurized air, reducing the pauses in breathing that disrupt your sleep and cause the heart to work harder than necessary. Many patients find that after just one night of using a CPAP, they begin to wake up refreshed and their waking symptoms disappear, allowing them to enjoy the full benefits of a good night’s sleep.
Our sleep specialists are able to offer comprehensive care for all aspects of sleep disorders, from diagnosis to treatment. We have board certified pulmonologists, sleep specialists and neurologists, as well as adult and pediatric otolaryngologists. We also have a team of specialized nurses and technicians who support our sleep specialists in treating sleep disorders.
During a sleep test, you will be invited to sleep in a comfortable bedroom at PMC’s state-of-the-art Sleep Center. A technologist will place electrode sensors on your head, chest, legs, and arms, which record a variety of data throughout the night. These include brain waves, heart rate and rhythm, limb movements, oxygen and blood pressure, and apneic events.
You will be able to take your CPAP home with you the night of your sleep study, so you can try it out at home before you commit to a full sleep study. This will enable you to see if you can tolerate CPAP, and will also give your otolaryngologist an idea of how long you might need to adjust the settings on your CPAP device so that it is comfortable for you to wear at night. This is important because the optimal setting for a CPAP device will reduce your apnea, not increase it.