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| MAKING A DIAGNOSIS |
| If you have symptoms of sleep apnea your doctor may ask you to get an overnight sleep study (called Polysomnography) to confirm the diagnosis. Typically this involves spending the night in a sleep center at which time sleep technicians will attach pads (electrodes) to your head to measure brain waves and wires to your chest to check your ability to breath. Additionally, there will be a small pad placed around your finger to measure the oxygen status of your blood along and pads placed on your chest to assess your heartbeat. While it looks as if all these attachments to your body may interfere with your rest, it is rare that anyone has difficulty sleeping. |
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| Some patients with mild apnea may be asked to stay for a series of naps done throughout the day at two-hour intervals called the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). The first nap occurs about two hours from your usual wake up time and the last nap occurs at approximately 3 PM. During the naps the technician will ask you to try to go to sleep, but it is important not to sleep between naps. The day after your sleep study the technicians and doctors will evaluate the results of your breathing during sleep. They will evaluate the number of times per hour that you have difficulty breathing and partially or fully wake up and calculate an “apnea hypopnea index” (AHI). Typically some sort of treatment will be recommended if there are more than 10 respiratory disturbances per hour. |
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