Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleeping Without Breathing

Throughout the course of the night, those afflicted with sleep apnea repeatedly experience instances where their breath is completely stopped. This can occur over 100 times in a single night for intervals of a minute or longer. In many cases, those suffering from sleep apnea will be completely oblivious to the breath stoppages because they don’t often trigger a full awakening.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is caused by a physical blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. The result is a fragmented, dissatisfying rest for the patient, and (if untreated) could have serious, life-shortening consequences including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, excessive heartburn/acid reflux, obesity, erectile dysfunction, automobile accidents due to inattention at the wheel, diabetes, depression, and more.

Diagnosis: The First Step

Self-Evaluations

Sleep apnea specialists have devised a number of tests you can take to help determine whether or not you might be suffering from OSA. A few of these tests have been included below for your convenience.

• Epworth Sleepiness Scale
• The Berlin Sleep Questionnaire
• STOP- Bang

QSS DIAGNOSTIC PROCESS

After discussing their condition with a primary care doctor, we invite patients to schedule an evaluative appointment with us.

Conducting a sleep study may be necessary to accurately diagnose the presence of OSA in a patient. We implement comfortable, easy to use technology that collects data while the patient sleeps in the comfort of their own bed. One of the most common devices fits onto the head like a baseball cap with a cannula going into the patient's nose. Other devices may strap across the chest or utilize oximetery sensors built into a finger clip.

The device is worn for two nights as it collects data on breathing patterns, after which the patient will mail it back to the sleep lab where we conduct our analysis. In as little as four hours of sleep time, the device can collect enough data for a team of experts to assess whether or not an individual is experiencing OSA.

Get in touch to schedule an appointment and begin your journey to a better sleep.