There are numerous sleep disorders in which a person deals with difficulty breathing. These sleep disorders are commonly known as sleep-related breathing disorders. Some of the most common representatives of this group of disorders are obstructive and central sleep apnea. However, a less famous sleep-related breathing disorder is sleep-related hypoxemia.

Sleep-related hypoxemia occurs when there are abnormally low oxygen levels in the blood. These low oxygen levels are a result of sleep-disordered breathing patterns, including sleep apnea and hypoventilation. In fact, oxygen saturation levels below 90 percent show that a person is dealing with hypoxemia. Moreover, if a person has oxygen saturation levels below 80 percent, it means that they are dealing with severe hypoxemia.

So, we decided to share everything you need to know about sleep-related hypoxemia and how to treat this disorder efficiently.

Symptoms and Causes of Sleep-Related Hypoxemia

There are numerous symptoms which can indicate that a person is dealing with sleep-related hypoxemia. Some of the most prominent symptoms are fast breathing, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and excessive drooling in children. When severe hypoxemia happens, a person might even experience an inability to speak, or even coma or death.

There are several things which can trigger sleep-related hypoxemia, such as nighttime breathing that’s abnormally slow or shallow. Moreover, if a person is in certain environments, including air travel, smoke, or high altitudes might also experience sleep-related hypoxemia. Likewise, there are a couple of health conditions which affect the lungs and cause hypoxemia, such as lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, and phenomena. Last but not least, hypoxemia might be triggered by certain narcotic pain relievers, some of which are morphine, fentanyl, and codeine.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep-Related Hypoxemia

The most common way to diagnose hypoxemia is with a small device which measures blood oxygen levels, called an oximeter. As we mentioned earlier, sleep-related hypoxemia is usually related sleep-disordered breathing pattern which causes reduced blood oxygen. So, in order to treat hypoxemia, it’s necessary to treat the other sleep-related breathing disorders. This can be done by correcting breathing obstructions or using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. What’s more, besides CPAP, a person might be treated with a nasal device that delivers supplemental oxygen or a hyperbaric chamber.

Home Sleep Studies

One of the most popular methods among primary care provider is the home sleep study. This method is extremely convenient both for the physician and the patient. What’s more, it’s less expensive. The home sleep insomnia test is done in order to monitor the oxygen saturation within the patient’s blood while they are asleep to ensure that it does not drop below a certain level. It is performed with either watch-like device or with a clip that attaches to the finger. If the patient’s blood drops below a certain level, it indicates that a person has sleep apnea or any other sleep-related breathing disorder.

Immediately after the diagnosis, comes the treatment. The diagnosis enables the patient to seek treatment and request that it be covered by their insurance company. So, a CPAP machine might cost $1500 out of pocket, but insurance could agree to pay for it in full so long as it is used consistently over the course of one year. That is why the home sleep study is extremely convenient. In fact, it doesn’t only diagnoses the condition, but helps the patient get the necessary treatment.