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Sleep study, diagnosis and treatment
“With the right approach to diagnosis and treatment, most sleep disorders are easily treated”
Why do I need to do the sleep study?
- Sleep is essential for our overall well-being, so non-optimal sleep can affect personal health, family life and work.
- When you don’t get optimal quality sleep, it can lead to problems in daily life, productivity and health.
- Sleep apnoea can also increase the risk of developing other chronic and life-threatening conditions.
Let’s get started!
How to schedule a sleep test?
Did you know that?
If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you may have sleep apnea.
Epworth sleepiness scale
Complete the Epworth scale commonly used to assess the level of sleepiness that someone feels.
Contact a pulmonologist
After completing the scale, discuss with your pulmonologist the symptoms you are experiencing.
Schedule a sleep study
The pulmonologist will suggest solutions for where to conduct the study as well as guide you with the appropriate treatment.
Understanding options that available for a sleep study
The definitive diagnosis of sleep apnea syndrome is made by polysomnography (PSG). The sleep test can be done at home, in a clinic or in a hospital. However, a sleep examination in a clinic or hospital can provide a more comprehensive picture by simultaneously recording all these parameters to confirm or exclude the syndrome and assess its severity.
Sleep Study in a Clinic or Hospital
Polysomnography (PSG), which is a diagnostic technique of simultaneous recording of neurophysiological, cardiorespiratory and other biological signals, is performed in a specially designed room in a clinic or hospital. The rooms of the sleep clinic are very similar to the bedroom of a house. The lab’s expert technician places small sensors on your body that record your behaviour during sleep on a computer connected in real time. The main signals recorded are the electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electromyogram, electrooculogram, electrocardiogram, airflow, chest and abdominal wall movement, haemoglobin oxygen saturation, snoring and body position recording.
Sleep Recording (Screening) at Home
Diagnostic portable devices for conducting sleep studies for home or clinic use, allow simultaneous recording of several biological signals for an accurate result in the comfort of your home, with key parameters such as airflow, chest and abdominal wall movement, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, snoring and body position recording and some more sophisticated devices offer the possibility of recording additional channels such as electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electro-ophthalmogram making the device in the category of a hospital type.
Understanding the results of the sleep study
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, don’t worry – you are not alone.
After you have completed the sleep study, the doctor will inform you of the result of the study and if the result is positive, will recommend the appropriate treatment and level of severity, possible health effects and treatment options.
Will CPAP therapy help?
CPAP can prevent or reverse severe effects of sleep apnea. Treating sleep apnea can help protect you from serious health risks. Using CPAP to treat sleep apnea can also improve many aspects of your life.
Common medical conditions you may see in the result of the sleep study.
Apnea
It is the cessation of breathing during sleep that is from 10 seconds, the category of apneas includes obstructive sleep apnea, it is when the entire airway is blocked, preventing air from entering the lungs.
Hint
A 30% or greater decrease in airflow associated with a similar decrease in the movement of your chest and stomach, and a 3% (4% for Medicare guidelines) or greater drop in blood oxygen level.
Avoidance and Innuendo Indicator (AHI)
The severity of sleep apnoea is measured by an average number and is calculated by dividing the total number of all apnoeas by the time of actual sleep.
Oxygen desaturation index (ODI)
It is the number of desaturations associated with sleep apnoea and measures the percentage of haemoglobin in the blood. The index is recorded as an average and calculated as the total number of desaturations divided by the actual sleep time, usually should be the same as the absence index.
Sleep stages
The sleep stages are categorized into levels one, two, three and REM, to capture the stages it is mandatory to do a polysomnographic (PSG) sleep study
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