Tips for Getting the Right Sleep Apnea Diagnosis

Getting the correct assessment of sleep apnea is important, as there are complications that can occur with people who suffer from this disorder.  If you suspect that you suffer from sleep apnea, you should speak with your doctor about the steps you need to take to get diagnosed.  This condition is more than a minor annoyance or irritant; sleep apnea can lead to blood poisoning, the loss of brain cells, and in severe cases even death.  And of course having the sleep patterns interrupted throughout the night can make one drowsy during the day and even nauseated as well.  So how can you go about getting the right sleep apnea diagnosis?

There are many symptoms associated with sleep apnea.  One characteristics that separates sleep apnea from other disorders is the type of snoring that a person with sleep apnea has.  It has been shown through studies and research that people that suffer from sleep apnea have a certain type of snoring.  If the sounds you make during sleep are like gasping, choking, or wheezing these may be signs of sleep apnea.  The reason being is those sounds are not snoring sounds, they are the body trying to catch its breath again.  Choking and gasping are typical sounds a person makes during an apnea episode as they are waking up slightly in order to start breathing again.  If you don't have a bedmate that can give you an accurate description of your snoring, don't hesitate to put a recorder in the bedroom.  Your doctor may even want to listen to these sounds to help with your sleep apnea diagnosis.

Headaches in the morning go along with the diagnosis of sleep apnea.  If the body is deprived of oxygen, even for a few moments, the nerves around the brain are irritated and the patient will feel pain around their head and face.  Bad posture while sleeping can be the cause of morning headaches.  But typically severe morning headaches are tied in with a sleep apnea diagnosis.  Many who have headaches on any type of regular basis are encouraged to keep a headache diary, which is a record of their headaches - when they get them, how severe the pain is, how long they last, and so on.  Try this with your morning headaches as well.

Of course only a doctor can give you an accurate sleep apnea diagnosis.  He or she can tell you exactly what they're looking for and can even recommend a sleep study.  While sleep apnea is a very serious condition, it's not recommended that you come to a sleep apnea diagnosis on your own.  Talk to your physician and get his or her recommendation before starting treatments.