What to Expect During a Sleep Study

With the recent release of new diagnostic criteria for sleep apnea, doctors at the American College of Physicians are reaffirming the importance of an overnight sleep study to find evidence of this potentially fatal condition. Though there is an abundance of information on sleep apnea on the Web and elsewhere, the best way to find out whether you suffer from the disorder is an overnight sleep study.

A sleep study measures your quality of sleep and how your body responds to changes while you rest. The study will take place overnight in a lab outfitted with equipment used to monitor sleep patterns in patients who might suffer from apnea or other sleep disorders.

Before you go to sleep, a technician will place special sensors on your head, face, chest, and arms. While you sleep, the sensors will measure bodily signs like:

• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Blood oxygen level
• Activity in the brain, eyes, and muscles

Known medically as a polysomnogram, sleep studies are painless. The doctors and technicians at the lab will try to make you as comfortable as possible to get an accurate picture of symptoms you might be experiencing.

If you regularly experience episodes of daytime sleepiness or your spouse has complained about your chronic snoring, undergoing an overnight sleep study could be the first step toward better health. Please contact a local sleep doctor or call 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) for more information on sleep apnea.

What Causes Daytime Sleepiness?

Revised guidelines published recently in the “Annals of Internal Medicine” medical journal discuss new diagnostic criteria for determining whether or not a patient experiencing daytime fatigue is suffering from sleep apnea. If you often suffer from drowsiness or other sleep apnea symptoms, it’s crucial to seek treatment sooner than later.

You might experience insufficient or poor quality sleep from time to time due to any number of lifestyle factors. Stress, excessive caffeine, and certain medications can disturb your sleep cycle and make you feel tired all day even if you got eight hours of shuteye.

However, persistent daytime fatigue could signify a serious health issue. Sleep apnea is one potential cause of chronic sleepiness, but other possibilities include: 

• Diabetes
• Migraine headache
• Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• Excess calcium in the bloodstream (hypercalcemia)
• Low sodium levels (hyponatremia)
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Chronic pain

Some of these conditions will require medical intervention to help you recover your overall health and good night’s rest. A qualified physician can evaluate you for fatigue and other symptoms to determine whether or not you’re suffering from sleep apnea or another disorder.  

If you frequently suffer from tiredness during the day or you feel that the quality of your sleep has lapsed, please contact a local sleep doctor or call 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today to schedule an evaluation.

COPD and Sleep Apnea Pose Double Threat to the Heart

Though some of the most extreme complications of sleep apnea affect the heart, a disorder of the lungs can elevate the risk of cardiovascular problems even more. Studies show that roughly 10% to 20% of patients with sleep apnea also suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

COPD is a chronic respiratory condition that causes breathing difficulties. In most cases the disorder is caused by inhaling harmful fumes or air particles, especially tobacco smoke. Symptoms of COPD include: 

• Persistent cough, sometimes accompanied by mucus
• Shortness of breath
• Tight feeling in the chest
• Greater susceptibility to pneumonia, bronchitis, and other lung infections

Similar to sleep apnea, COPD interrupts breathing. This causes the heart and other parts of the body to be deprived of essential oxygen. Thus, the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and other serious health issues is compounded when a patient suffers from both COPD and sleep apnea.

COPD is irreversible but the symptoms are manageable. Likewise, sleep apnea treatments can offset the negative impact on the body. Restoring healthy breathing is critical, as better breathing means more oxygen reaches the heart.

To learn more about COPD, sleep apnea, and prospective treatment options, please contact an experienced physician or call 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today.

Texas Child Thrives Only After Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Treatment

A sleep apnea diagnosis and subsequent treatments came as a welcome relief to the parents of 6-year-old  Emma Weedon.

Since infancy, the girl suffered from night terrors and generalized anxiety, and was recently struggling to adjust to preschool, according to a July 2014 report on KETK-TV, an NBC affiliate in Tyler, Texas.

Emma's parents believed an ADHD diagnosis was hasty. They also felt hesitant to medicate their child unnecessarily. Finally, a visit with sleep doctors revealed that Emma suffered from such sleep apnea symptoms as irregular breathing and teeth grinding. She had been waking about every half-hour during the night since she was less than a year old.

With appropriate sleep apnea treatment, however, Emma's sleep improved along with her growth rate, concentration, and overall health.

While Emily found success with continuous positive airway pressure therapy, many other children find it difficult to sleep with a CPAP, making them candidates for other sleep apnea treatments like a custom oral appliance.

It is common for young children to struggle to regulate their sleep as they grow up. But particularly when kids are unusually or inexplicably challenged in other areas of their development, such as concentrating in school or maintaining an active lifestyle, a visit with a pediatric sleep specialist to talk about sleep apnea could prove illuminating.

Sleep doctors suspect that between 10 and 25 percent of kids age 2 to 8 suffer from children's sleep apnea. Its symptoms may include:

·         Snoring

·         Breathing difficulty during sleep

·         Chronically restless sleep

·         Night sweats

·         Nightmares, or "night terrors"

·         Bed wetting

·         Sleep walking

·         Slowed growth

·         Concentration problems

·         Hormonal and metabolic problems

·         Failure to thrive

If a child in your family is struggling with these or other symptoms and may benefit from a sleep apnea test and subsequent treatment, please contact a qualified sleep doctor today or call (866) 727-6275.
 

Am I a Good Sleep Apnea Appliance Candidate?

With dozens of different sleep apnea oral appliances now available, chances are great that this treatment is the right one for many mild to moderate sleep apnea sufferers -- particularly those patients who have found it difficult to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.

A sleep apnea appliance looks like a mouth guard. When worn during sleep, these appliances work by pulling the lower jaw forward to keep the airway open while you sleep. Oral appliances, which can be used in concert with other sleep apnea treatments such as lifestyle changes or surgery, have the added benefit of being more comfortable to most sleep apnea patients than wearing a CPAP.

·         You may be an ideal candidate for a sleep apnea oral appliance if you comply with one of the following criteria:

·         Apnea persists despite weight loss and lifestyle changes.

·         Patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who find themselves unable to use a CPAP.

Patients who would like to avoid more drastic surgical steps to correct sleep apnea such as tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, or tracheotomy.
To find out more about how an oral appliance can address your sleep apnea, please contact one of our qualified sleep doctors today or call (866) 727-6275.

Romance Supports Sleep Apnea Diagnoses

Faster sleep apnea diagnosis may be among the marriage and long-term relationship benefits, which also include financial security, emotional maturity and better socialization.

 

"People who have no sleeping partner may go for years without recognizing their difficulty" with sleep apnea, Michigan surgeon John L. Pfenninger writes in a July 2014 Midland Daily News article about the challenges and dangers of living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). " The classic hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring. Anyone with significant snoring problems should be evaluated."

Dr. Pfenninger also elaborates on the most common causes of sleep apnea, which is more dominant in men, particularly those with large necks. Among its causes:

·         Obesity

·         Drug, alcohol or sedative use or abuse

·         Aging

·         Decreased muscle tone

·         Naturally narrow airways

Sleeping alongside another person can help potential sleep apnea patients identify heavy snoring or interrupted night breathing. Since sleep apnea can exacerbate other health problems including cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, it may be especially prudent for a patient to take note of such sleep apnea symptoms as:

·         Daytime sleepiness

·         Morning headaches

·         Insomnia

·         Concentration problems

·         Unusual moodiness or irritability

·         Depression

·         Fatigue

·         Decreased sex drive

If you believe you might be suffering from sleep apnea, please contact a qualified sleep physician in your area or call (866) 727-6275.

Sleep Apnea Linked to Deadly Train Accident

The conductor of the Metro-North train from Poughkeepsie to New York City that derailed in December 2013 reportedly suffered from sleep apnea, according to an investigation into the accident by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The early morning wreck occurred after the train moved too quickly around a sharp curve on the Hudson Line just outside Spuyten Duyvil station in The Bronx.  It left four people dead and dozens more injured.

The conductor, William Rockefeller, was a 20-year public transportation veteran and reportedly took several appropriate procedural safety precautions prior to leaving Poughkeepsie, including turning off his cell phone and conducting a safety meeting with the train's assistant conductor.

However Rockefeller also told investigators that he experienced something like a blackout while he was working, and only blinked back to consciousness after he sensed that something had gone very wrong with his train.

It was only after the accident that doctors and investigators concluded that he suffered from previously-undiagnosed sleep apnea, or the condition that causes sufferers to awaken up to hundreds of times during the night because of obstructed breathing.

Despite the fact that sleep apnea affects millions of Americans, its symptoms can be difficult to recognize. Sleep apnea symptoms include:

·         Loud snoring

·         Daytime sleepiness

·         Insomnia

·         Fatigue

·         Shortness of Breath

Do you currently suffer from sleep apnea and seek new treatment options, or do you simply want to learn more about this diagnosis? If so, please contact a qualified sleep physician in your area or call (866) 727-6275.