Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea

Usually, the first symptom of sleep apnea is excessive daytime sleepiness especially after lunch. If one is having trouble staying awake in the afternoon this could be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea also usually involves someone who snores.

The partner of the snorer would be first one to notice the snoring patterns and the breathing problems if any. If there are any noticeable signs of sleep apnea such as excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring and stoppage of breathing during the night, it is advisable to visit the physician at the earliest.

A physician will begin with the medical history of the patient. He would look into the:

1. Family history
2. Sleeping habits
3. Routine activity of a patient in a day
4. Whether the patient uses alcohol, caffeine or tobacco
5. Whether he has any emotional or mental stress
6. Whether he has morning headaches
7. If he is overweight

The patient or the partner of the patient may need to maintain a sleep diary for a minimum of two weeks to explain some of these noticeable factors. This would be followed by a physical examination of the mouth, throat, tonsils, uvula and the nose.

The doctor would look for any abnormalities in the uvula, any abnormalities in the neck and factors like obesity. If, after the physical examination and the history check of the patient, the physician is not able to diagnose sleep apnea, he may, however, be able to rule out other sleep disorders and psychological conditions of the patient.

Once the physical examination is completed, the physician will most likely order a sleep study for the patient in order to diagnose sleep apnea or rule it out. This is often done in a sleep laboratory or a sleep center, located within the hospital premises. Unless the sleep study is done in home, a person would have to stay overnight at the center to get the test done. Usually a polysomnography is done to record the sleep patterns and find the exact problem.

This electronically monitors the patient as they pass different stages of sleep. The test records the activity of the brain, the REM (Rapid Eye Movement), the muscle activity, the breathing pattern, the heart rate, the brain waves and the air flow in the lungs. Changes in the blood oxygen level are also recorded. A polysomnography is considered to be the most effective procedure to detect sleep apnea in both adults and children.

There are various other methods of doing home monitoring of sleep apnea. Some of them are

1. Home Oximeters: The accuracy of home oximeters to record sleep apnea is not very effective. But, it is helpful in detecting patients with seriously low oxygen levels who have not yet been diagnosed with it. This measure may not be effective by itself but can be additionally used with the other methods available to check the oxygen level.
2. Monitoring with auto CPAP: This helps in recording impaired breathing. It uses an auto CPAP machine and a monitor is attached to record the information on any apnea episodes.
3. Recording of nasal pressure: In this case a monitor records the air flow between the mouth and the nose.
4. PAT (Peripheral Arterial Tonometry): This measures the blood flow in the finger tips during the sleep. This test has a 80-percent accuracy rating in detecting sleep apnea.