Testing For Sleep Apnea at Home
Sleep ApneaSleep apnea is a disorder that causes loud snoring, cessation of breathing during the night, and extreme tiredness during the day. A person with this condition may stop breathing for ten or more seconds as many as hundred times each night. This cuts off valuable oxygen supplies to the brain and can have serious consequences.
Anyone can have sleep apnea, but if you are a male over the age of fifty, or if you are obese, smoke cigarettes, or consume alcohol, you are more likely to have the disorder. Using sleeping pills or sedatives, and sleeping on your back only increases the symptoms.
Sleep apnea only gets worse with time. Therefore, it is important that you know the symptoms so you can get treatment. Since a lot of people have sleep apnea and don't even know it, here are some common symptoms to watch for:
· Loud snoring (it may keep your partner awake at night) or gasping for air while sleeping
· You wake up feeling tired or with a headache
· You feel sleepy or even fall asleep during the day
· You may be irritable and unable to concentrate
· Mood changes or feelings of anxiety
If you exhibit any of these symptoms, your doctor will probably order a test that records your sleep patterns to help diagnosis the disorder. This is usually done in a sleep lab where you are hooked up to machines and have to wear a mask or nasal canula.
However, Itamar Medical has introduced the Watch-PAT100 that allows you to conduct the diagnostic test at home while sleeping in the comfort of your own bed. No sleep mask or canula is needed. Instead, there is a fingertip monitor that measures blood oxygen levels, body movement, sleep stages, and sleep/wake cycles.
Anyone can rent the diagnostic machine as long as a doctor or licensed sleep specialist orders the test. The test results and an interpretation are sent to your doctor who will then be able to give you a diagnosis and determine what treatment is best for you.
The cost of the in-home test using Watch-PAT100 is covered by Medicare and most insurance companies. Find out how you can be tested for sleep apnea in your own home. www.MyHomeSleepTest.com
Katie Perry is the virtual administrative assistant for Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services. Part of her duties include posting client articles to online directories.