Before sleep apnea can be treated, there must be an accurate diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is in hand, it can be treated very effectively by Poss Sleep Apnea and TMJ Solutions in Brentewood TN.
Sleep apnea is more common than you might think: more than twenty million Americans cope with it every day – or every night, as the case may be. Sleep apnea is a condition where you have interrupted breathing as you sleep, most often due to relaxed throat muscles combined with a narrow airway. The interrupted breathing disrupts your slumber, leaving you tired even after eight hours in the sack.
One of the best ways to know for sure someone has sleep apnea is through a sleep study. There are sleep clinics that are best equipped to perform these studies. These facilities have places for patients to spend the night connected to monitors that track your breathing and oxygen levels. They don’t monitor sleep: instead, they evaluate the patient for apnea.
The thing is, most patients don’t likes the idea of spending the night in a sleep clinic. Fortunately, there are home sleep apnea tests for some patient. A home sleep test isn’t something you can pick up at the drug store, however; it has to be prescribed by a physician.
Like a sleep test in a clinic, a home test uses sensors to detect your breathing patterns. There are several different types of sensors and you wear all of them: one attached to a finger, another around your chest, and other around your waist, and a mask with tubes that go into your nostrils.
This might sound intrusive, but it’s really a small commitment with the larger aim of identifying the presence of a serious problem. And in most cases, it’s just for one night. Patients who are eligible usually prefer the home version because they’re able to get the testing they need, but in a comfortable, familiar environment.
Once the test is finished, the results are reviewed by certified sleep technologists and a physician. The presence of sleep apnea is confirmed or ruled out, and from there, appropriate steps are taken. All of it has the objective of improving your sleep and your health.
Poss Sleep Apnea & TMJ Solutions in Brentwood TN conducts sleep studies at its own facility, and can also set patients up with home studies. After that we can begin treatment. If you or a loved one is coping with sleep apnea, do not hesitate to contact us today.
