Obstructive Sleep Apnea Sleep Disorder Diagnosis
Monday, May 28th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
For some, the problems begin when they try to go to sleep. They toss and they turn, but they just can’t get comfortable. Others lie awake for hours, unable to drift off into the peaceful state of mind required for sleep. Still others have no problems falling asleep, but continuously wake up extremely early. Many people aren’t even aware of their problem until something more serious occurs as a result.
Millions of Americans are afflicted by sleep disorders. There are several different kinds of sleep disorders. Insomnia is most commonly known; however, others include narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder, and restless leg syndrome. Did you know that as many as 95 per cent of sleep disorders go undiagnosed every year? For one of the most common sleep disorders, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the results could be deadly.
About OSA
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is caused when the airway collapses while the afflicted person is sleeping. This could be dangerous because is causes people to actually stop breathing in their sleep, which can in turn result in further complications, such as high blood pressure and heart problems. People with OSA often stop breathing as many as 120 times in a night!
What Can You Do?
Sleep disorder diagnosis is extremely important, especially when it comes to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. One of the most common forms of sleep disorder diagnosis is to have a sleep study performed. A sleep study is the only fool-proof sleep disorder diagnosis for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. If you have symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it is advisable to ask your doctor about a sleep study for sleep disorder diagnosis, particularly because there are no risks involved in the study. Additionally, if the sleep disorder diagnosis occurs early, then early treatment can reduce both your symptoms and further complications.
There are disadvantages of sleep studies for sleep disorder diagnosis, however. Sleep studies are often hard to interpret, especially in older people. Also, sleep studies are quite expensive and many people don’t find the results worth the amount of money they pay.
Self Diagnosis
A cheaper but less reliable method of sleep disorder diagnosis is to “diagnose” yourself. Many times the symptoms of sleep disorders, such as snoring, are extremely obvious and can be recognized by the person who is afflicted with the disorder. Once you believe you have reached a conclusion, talk to your doctor about treatment.
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