How to Diagnose Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is thought to be as prevalent in society as asthma and yet by comparison is usually undiagnosed. This condition presents a growing health care crisis as untreated sleep apnea carries the real risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart failure and accidents (e.g. at the wheel). Fortunately, if diagnosed correctly, there are many highly effective treatments available.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Apnea’s are suspensions of a person’s breathing. When these occur during sleep then the condition is called sleep apnea.

The occasional apnea is nothing to worry about. The condition of sleep apnea is confirmed according to a standard definition that includes the number of pauses in breathing as well as changes in brain activity and blood oxygen levels.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Most people with sleep apnea are never diagnosed because they rarely realize that they have it. They may have symptoms of tiredness, headaches, sexual dysfunction and more but many people often put these down to stress or partying too hard.

Often, a person’s partner will tell them that they are having apnea’s and to see a doctor. Thereafter, a doctor who suspects apnea will refer the patient for a sleep study where a night of sleep is studied in detail by researchers who observe and collect relevant data. Only then can a diagnosis of sleep apnea be positively confirmed.

Types Of Sleep Apnea

There are generally two types of sleep apnea.

The first type, obstructive sleep apnea, is the most common. It is caused by an obstruction in the airway that occurs when a person is asleep. The obstruction itself is formed by the various soft tissues at the back of the throat, especially when in specific positions such as lying on the back. It is much more common in overweight people who are of middle-age or beyond.

The second type is known as central sleep apnea and represents only 0.4% of all cases. With this condition, the patient does not have a restricted airway but instead there is a neurological problem. Under normal circumstances, the body monitors levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide and regulates the breathing accordingly. In central sleep apnea, this process does not work as it should and as a result, patients experience apnea’s where no effort is made to breathe.

Treatment

Many anti-snoring treatments that work by opening up the airways can work well for obstructive sleep apnea. Otherwise, the gold standard in treatment for sleep apnea is the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. This forces air into the throat on the inhale and ensures that the body receives enough oxygen.

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