• The hallmark of the disease is excessive snoring and daytime tiredness.
• Diagnosis is established by monitoring the sleep of the patient.
• Done in a sleep lab such as ours with a polysomnogram.
• Our sleep lab is equipped with state of the art equipment.
• Weight loss, avoidance of alcohol or other sleep inducing medicines and sleeping on the side are helpful.
• Frequently patients are prescribed CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure).
• or BiPAP (Bilevel positive airway pressure device).
• To establish the correct setting of the CPAP a second night of testing is sometimes needed.
• CPAP Most patients tolerate it well.
• Those who cannot tolerate it are sometimes encouraged to see a dentist who specializes in sleep disorders or an ear nose and throat specialist.
Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea and should not be ignored.
We perform: Night Time Monitored Sleep Studies for sleep apnea.
How to determine if you are excessively sleepy.
How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the following situations in contrast to jsut feeling tired? Even if you have not done some of these things recently try to work out how they would have affected you. Use the follwing scale to determine the most appropriate number for each situation
Use the follwing scale to determine the most appropriate number for each situation.
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Score 0 would never doze |
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Score 1 slight chance of dozing |
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Score 2 Moderate Chance of Dozing |
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Score 3 High Chance of dozing |
If your score is 10 or higher it would mean you are excessively sleepy and should talk to your doctor.
How do you know if you have sleep apnea
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Do you snore? |
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Are you excessively tired during the daytime? |
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Have you been told you stop breathing during sleep? |
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Do you have high blood pressure (hypertension)? |
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Is you neck size > 17 inches (male) or 16 inches (female)? |
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If you answered yes to two or more questions talk to your doctor about the need for a sleep study (polysomnogram) |