The Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea

 The Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea



How can I tell if I have sleep apnea and how can I treat it?

Diagnosis
The typical patient with sleep apnea is an overweight middle-aged male with a neck size of more than 17 inches. However, the condition is also common in women and not all sufferers are overweight. Almost everybody who has sleep apnea is a snorer, often a very heavy snorer. Pauses in breathing during sleep are commonly noticed by a bed partner but this history is often lacking and up to five “events” per hour are considered normal.

One of the more consistent symptoms is “nonrestorative sleep” meaning that the patient wakes in the morning feeling unrefreshed no matter how much he slept during the night. Excessive daytime sleepiness is common in sleep apnea of any severity but some patients complain of fatigue rather than sleepiness. However, many patients with severe sleep apnea have no complaint of sleepiness or fatigue.

The most accurate diagnostic tool, polysomnography, can confirm the diagnosis and assist the doctor in identifying the type of sleep apnea present. In the past, this test was only done in hospitals and in specialized sleep laboratories.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Are The Causes Of Odynophagia

Image
 What Are The Causes Of Odynophagia There are various circumstances that can cause torment while gulping, and you’re most likely acquainted with the normal ones, like the normal chilly, strep throat, and tonsillitis. While awkward, a great many people’s safe frameworks can overcome these diseases.
Read more

The Difficulties of Living With Fibromyalgia

Image
 The Difficulties of Living With Fibromyalgia It’s not easy to live with fibromyalgia. It is not easy due to the fact that, like myself, you have no knowledge about how you are going to feel when you wake up in the morning. One day there’s pain beyond belief and the next you can feel as if you are walking on clouds, no pain and a day full of activity. My day normally starts with about 20 minutes of trying to stretch out my muscles and have them functioning normally again. Then I have to pick up my little girl from her bed, and that can be a painful experience. After that it’s time to change her diaper, and that is also a huge problem for me as my fingers normally are not working properly. Fortunately my daughter has learned already to be patient with me. After about half an hour it’s time to try out clothes and see if it’s going to be a good day or a bad one. A bad day is a no tight clothes day. Then it’s breakfast time but normally I can’t eat breakfast due to stomach problems also ca
Read more

The Facts About Bad Breath

Image
 The Facts About Bad Breath We have all had an experience where you have been required to speak to someone and you have been unable to concentrate on their response because of their bad breath. The medical term for this condition is known as halitosis and there can be a number of causes for it. However, the end result is always the same and it can be described as the presence of foul smelling gases in exhaled air. So, what causes this to happen? Well, there are two main types of halitosis and one is easier to explain than the other. The first type is called transient bad breath and this can be caused as a result of a number of seemingly innocuous factors. Having a dry mouth, which can be due to thirst, stress or nerves, can cause bad breath as can certain food stuffs. Strong smelling food such as garlic, onion or other heavily spiced dishes can linger on the breath of the person who consumed it. Smoking is another factor which can cause bad breath and poor oral hygiene is a sure way to
Read more