Sleep Apnea Protocol That Is Followed
When a person suspects that they have sleep apnea, they should begin a dialogue with heir physician. The symptoms of sleep apnea include, daytime fatigue, headaches, waking during the night and very loud snoring.
There are several types of sleep apnea that can be diagnosed. The first involves muscles in the throat that become relaxed and then constrict the airflow causing a person to stop breathing for a few seconds before the brain wakes the patient making the muscles tighten and the breathing to become regular.
The second type involves interrupted signals from the brain that control breathing. This type of sleep apnea involves a patient being woken up at night by the brain to begin breathing in a regular pattern again. Some people even have a combination of both sleep apnea types and this is called mixed apnea.
If these symptoms seem familiar it may be time to talk with a physician to discover if sleep apnea could be the root cause of your problems.
Sleep Apnea Protocol: Tests That Will Be Performed
When looking at sleep apnea protocol, there are certain steps that will be followed to get proper diagnoses. Sleep apnea protocol involves asking questions and using some monitors to evaluate a person's sleep. Doctor's will follow this sleep apnea protocol in order to make the best diagnoses possible for a patient.
A test called a nocturnal polysomnography is often used as part of a sleep apnea protocol. This involves a patient being monitored overnight and hooked up to a machine to record the findings. Some clinics require the patient to spend the night at the clinic for a complete evaluation to be performed.
Another of the sleep apnea protocol tests that may be performed is an Oximetry. This is a simple test that monitors the amount of oxygen that is being processed by your body. A simple sleeve is placed over the finger and records your oxygen levels overnight. With sleep apnea, some patients find that they have lower levels of oxygen and this can result in other health complications.
With these test results and your own personnel experience a doctor can diagnose sleep apnea. There are several treatments available and depending on which type of sleep apnea is diagnosed, a treatment plan will be laid out. This may mean a visit with another physician to go over some surgical options that can look into if there is a blockage in your throat that may be causing this condition.
Sleep apnea can be treated so talk with your physician if this could be a problem for you.
