The Many Faces of Sleep Apnea

large-neck

Large Neck Circumference

enlarged-tonsils

Enlarged Tonsils / Adenoids

aging

Aging & Loss of Muscle Tone

pregnancy

Pregnancy & Rapid Weight Gain

ethnicity

Ethnicity

obesity

Obesity

STOP

Do you SNORE loudly (louder than talking or loud enough to be
heard through a closed doors)?		 YES NO
Do you often feel TIRED, fatigued, or sleepy during the
daytime?		 YES NO
Has anyone OBSERVED you stop breathing during your sleep? YES NO
Do you have or are you being treated for high blood
PRESSURE?		 YES NO

BANG

BMI more than 35kg/m2? YES NO
AGE over 50 years old? YES NO
NECK circumference > 15.75 (40cm)? YES NO
Male GENDER? YES NO
Calculate OSA Risk 3 yes answers: High-Risk <3 yes answers: Low-risk

Epworth Sleepiness Scale

Scenario 0 = Would Never Doze 1 = SLIGHT CHANCE OF DOSING 2 = MODERATE CHANCE OF DOZING 3 = HIGH CHANCE OF DOZING
Sitting and Reading: 0 1 2 3
Sitting inactive in a public place: 0 1 2 3
As a passenger in a car for an hour with no break: 0 1 2 3
Lying down to rest in the afternoon when you can: 0 1 2 3
Sitting and talking to someone: 0 1 2 3
Sitting quietly after lunch without alcohol: 0 1 2 3
In a car while stopped for a few minutes in traffic: 0 1 2 3
Watching TV: 0 1 2 3

The Treatment Process

Diagnostic Sleep Study

The first sleep study that takes place will be the diagnostic portion of the process. During this study, your assisting Sleep Technologist will monitor things like your heart rate, oxygen levels, and respiratory effort to test for suspected sleep disorders.

Follow Up Sleep Study

If you are diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea a full night of titration may be warranted, even if PAP therapy was not initiated on the night of your first study. The purpose of this study is to determine an optimal pressure for treatment. During this study, you will use PAP therapy the entire time. Your Technologist will slowly increase the pressure until apneas are eliminated.

Test Results and Physician Follow-Up

Prepare for a turnaround time of about two weeks. If you do not hear from your doctor you may want to consider initiating a follow up with them to go over the results of your study and potential treatment plan.

Treatment

If your physician prescribes CPAP or BiPAP therapy, we will contact you to schedule a setup appointment where you will leave with your machine and supplies. We will make the appointment for an hour so that you have time to pick out your mask and learn how to use it. This hour is yours, so we will make sure any and all of your questions are answered before you leave.

Treatment Support

Our PAP therapists will contact you within one day of your setup appointment to review your progress with therapy. There will be additional calls further into your therapy as well. The purpose of these calls is to make sure you are not experiencing any troubles with therapy.

Please be advised, a lot of insurance companies will require that you participate in a follow up program in order to receive coverage, so it is important that you work with our support staff to update us on your progress.

Woman wearing CPAP mask

Sleep Disorders

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a form of Sleep Apnea that is caused by the crowding of the airway in the back of the nose, mouth, and throat during sleep. This can cause disrupted sleep because of a lack of oxygen reaching the lungs.
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Central Sleep Apnea

Central Sleep Apnea is a form of Sleep Apnea where there are long pauses in breathing during sleep caused by the lack of respiratory effort. This lack of respiratory effort occurs when the brain does not send the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
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Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder involves involuntary, repetitive leg or arm movements during sleep.
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Insomnia

Insomnia is a persistent sleep problem that occurs even when the opportunity to get a full night of sleep is present. Common symptoms of insomnia include but are not limited to difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep during the night, and waking up earlier than desired.
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Parasomnias

Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorder where the disorder involves abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, or during arousal from sleep.
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Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness that is impossible to resist. This disorder may also be associated with brief episodes of muscle weakness, possible hallucinations as you are falling asleep, and sleep paralysis.
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Poor Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene is a variety of different practices and habits that are necessary to have good nighttime sleep quality and full daytime alertness. Poor sleep hygiene, similar to poor personal hygiene, includes practices and habits that are not conducive to sleep. Poor sleep hygiene is a sleep disorder caused by bad sleeping habits. It is often corrected by making a few simple changes to your routine and daily practices leading up to your bedtime such as removing electronics from the room, not sleeping with an animal, going to bed and waking up at the same time, and avoiding substances such as nicotine, caffeine or alcohol right before bed. If not looked after, poor sleep hygiene can lead to, or continue to produce side effects common with many other sleeping disorders, which can be harmful to quality of life.