A potentially serious sleep disorder, sleep apnea is a condition in which a person’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. This may be accompanied by snoring or choking noises. The brain and body may become deprived of oxygen, causing the person to wake up. This may happen a few times a night or in severe cases, several hundred times a night. This is a common disorder and 18 million Americans are affected by it. Sleep apnea can be inherited. This means that if a family member has sleep apnea, you are at a higher risk of having it. Other factors include obesity and certain physical features such as a recessed jaw. Additional contributing factors include poor eating habits, hypertension, large neck size, smoking, and use of alcohol, sedatives, or tranquilizers.

Diagnosing sleep apnea. Diagnosing and receiving treatment for sleep apnea can be a little difficult. One of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea is snoring, but everyone who snores does not have sleep apnea. Other related symptoms such as daytime fatigue, morning headaches, memory loss, irritability, and others, are not easily associated with sleep apnea. These can be attributed to other conditions or life situations. People generally don’t think of snoring as a sign of something potentially serious. This is why it sometimes becomes difficult to determine that a person has sleep apnea. While you are sleeping, your brain senses your inability to breathe and you are briefly roused from sleep so that you can reopen your airways. But this awakening is so brief that you likely won’t remember it. In fact, some people with sleep apnea think that they sleep well all night.

If you or your partner suspect that you have sleep apnea, you will first see your primary care physician. You may then be referred to a sleep specialist. An evaluation will be made based on your signs and symptoms and you may further be referred to a sleep disorder center. Here, a sleep specialist will decide if you need further evaluation through monitoring your breathing and other body functions during an overnight visit. If this sounds uncomfortable or scary for you, you have another great option- a home test for sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea test at home. The thought of sleeping in a lab hooked up to monitors and electrodes on different parts of your body, and in a new and strange environment, is not the best way to do sleep apnea testing. It is understandable that under such circumstances, anyone would feel uncomfortable and not be able to sleep well. This may disrupt the results of sleep apnea testing and not give the physician accurate information about your condition. Fortunately, you have the option of using a sleep apnea at-home test. This eliminates the need for the testing to be administered in a sleep lab during an overnight visit. Since you are in your own bed at home with minimal discomfort, much more accurate information can be gathered as a result of the home sleep apnea test. Additionally, this type of testing is very convenient as patients do not need to interrupt their schedules or take any time off from work.

The home testing device is delivered right to your doorstep with instructions and a 24/7 support line if needed. The device effectively monitors multiple factors such as blood oxygen levels, leg movement, brain wave activity, and respiration rate. While a sleep lab study may be able to gather more comprehensive information, in most cases, this type of in-depth study is not needed for diagnosing and recommending a course of treatment for sleep apnea patients. All you have to do is self-administer the sleep test and ship the device back. A report is delivered to the presiding physician to look over. What’s more, this type of testing provides a reduced cost for patients who may be hesitant to undergo treatment because of their insurance companies failing to provide coverage. Typically, the cost is about one third the cost of an in-lab study, making for substantial savings for patients.

Remember, treatment for sleep apnea is much simpler and inexpensive than you think. So if you suspect you may have this condition, visit your doctor today and get on the road to treatment.

VirtuOx is the leader in home sleep tests and pulse oximetry.