polysomnogram

September 29, 2009

Sleep Apnea Diagnosis – Not So Simple



One of the hardest sleep conditions to diagnose is sleep apnea. No physician can simply and accurately tell if you’re putting up with one with just one audience or even a series of blood tests. Your bed partner is the best individual to recognize whether you make a peculiar sound when you snore or if your breathing looks to stop when you are asleep so begin by asking them first. The testimony of your bed partner can be employed by the doctor when he processes a diagnosis, but he will use other tests as well.

Your family’s medical history along with your own will be checked by the physician so be prepared for these questions. Keep a sleeping journal for a week or two and be as honest as you can with the physicians questions. In the journal, list the amount of hours of restful sleep you get each night and how drowsy you get at other times of the day. The disorder of sleep apnea is genetic do it will be foremost if you inform the physician if other members of your family suffer from it.

A physical examination to diagnose the sleep apnea will be required next. Your nose, mouth, and throat will be checked and studied for any presence of large or extra tissue. The air passage can also be affected by the shape of your head and neck so the doctor will look for signs of this too.

The enlargement of the palate (or uvula), the small piece of tissue that hangs down at the rear of the mouth will likewise be investigated, especially when probing adults.

Oftentimes they look into the tonsils as well.

Last, sleeping study is so far the most accurate diagnostic examination for sleep apnea detection as it can capture your breathing pattern as you sleep. Needless to say, it is conducted as you sleep within a sleeping lab or a sleep center. You might be required to stay overnight in the hospital’s sleep lab for observance. {It can record brain activity, heart rate and breathing pattern, eye motions, muscle activity, blood oxygen level, and air passage to the lungs as you sleep.

Do not be concerned because a polysomnogram is generally painless. You will be made to go to sleep, though there will be sensors attached to your face, limbs, fingers, chest, and scalp. It could reveal any presence of the complaint, the type, and even seriousness of the condition.



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