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If fatigue makes it hard to get through the day or housemates complain about your loud snoring, you may need home sleep testing to determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea. At Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Group, LLC, Andrew R. Freedman, MD, and Gichel Watson, RPAC, do home sleep testing to diagnose sleep apnea, determine its severity, and make treatment decisions. Call the office in Monroe, New Jersey, or Evanston, Wyoming, or use online booking today to request a telemedicine appointment.
Home sleep testing provides the information needed to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Your provider gives you a home sleep study kit that you return to them or a disposable kit you throw away after your sleep testing.
You may need polysomnography if your symptoms suggest another sleep disorder, such as central sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or nocturnal seizures.
Polysomnography is a supervised sleep study done in a medical center where they can record additional information, including brain wave and heart activity, and eye and leg movements.
Your provider discusses things that can affect your test and produce unreliable results so you can avoid them. For example, you should avoid drinking alcohol because it affects breathing while you sleep.
The test kit includes several pieces that you wear throughout the night:
The clip goes over your finger, where a sensor picks up oxygen levels in your blood.
This is a lightweight tube with two prongs that go into each nostril. This piece measures airflow.
The belt goes around your chest, detecting movement caused by breathing. In some kits, the belt may hold the portable monitor.
This device records the information obtained from your finger clip, chest belt, and nasal cannula. Some devices send the data wirelessly to the office; others are downloaded in the office after you return the device.
Your provider at Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Group, LLC, may ask you to wear the devices for one or several nights. After they have all the information, they review it and schedule a telemedicine appointment to discuss the results.
The information obtained during your home sleep test shows whether you have OSA. The changes in oxygen levels and the number of times you stop breathing determine the severity of the problem.
Fewer than five apnea episodes an hour is typical. Otherwise, you may have:
Your provider recommends treatment based on the severity. In most cases, they treat moderate to severe sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
To learn more about home sleep testing, call Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Group, LLC, or request a telemedicine appointment online today.