How would you know whether you had sleep apnea? Severe and persistent daytime sleepiness (not just tiredness) is the most obvious symptom. Usually it is the spouse, or family members who are the first to realize that you have severe snoring problem. If you are already aware that you snore, frequently fall asleep in front of the TV, have difficulty concentrating, falls asleep easily and any time at work, dinner, or even while driving – don't delay – go and see the doctor immediately.
In order to confirm that sleep apnea, the doctors/hospital will most likely require you to take part in a "sleep study". The process takes place either in a specialized sleep study unit or under the care of a lung specialist. The sleep study mainly involves a nigh stay in the hospital and a variety of tests to determine how badly your breathing is obstructed. Videos recording may be present to check your quality of sleep and body movements.
Typical tests include:
Visual observation – to observe and determine signs of sleep apnea
Pulse Oximetry – measures the amount of oxygen in your blood and pulse rate.
Polysomnography – measures the eye movements and chin to see which sleep stage the individual reached. People with sleep apnea are found to have multiple dips in oxygen levels and peaks in pulse rate. The flow of air through the nose & mouth, the movement of the chest wall and the oxygen levels in the blood are measured. In a normal sleeper, the breathing is regular and rhythmic, the heart rate is stable and oxygen saturation in the blood is 95 percent. During an episode of sleep apnea, the level of oxygen in the blood quickly begins to decline to a low level, there are gaps in the airflow at least once a minute, and within 30 seconds the heart rate begins to rise and breathing starts again;
Electrocardiogram (ECG) – measures any seriously abnormal heart rhythms.
Apnea101.com – the source on treatments, causes, side-effects, symptoms for sleep apnea suffers
Article Source
Author: Albert D.R
Albert D.R knows much about sleep apnea as he was an ex-suffer of snoring and sleep apnea. More about sleep apnea symptoms, causes, side-effects and treatments on his blog.
