Sleep Apnea Test Is Your First Step Towards Treatment

The ordinary sequence of diagnosis and treatment of a health disorder go like this; we experience the symptoms, explain them to the doctor, doctor turns up with a diagnosis and treatment starts. Sleep apnea, however, is a medical condition that deviates from the usual procedure of diagnosis and treatment.

Here, no matter how thorough you may detail the symptoms to the doctor, he or she would still suggest a sleep apnea test, before beginning any kind of therapy. The reasons for this are:

* Sleep apnea symptoms manifest during sleep which means the symptoms are noticed by someone other than the patient. This enhances the subjectivity of reporting and any preconceived notion in the reporting is not acceptable.

* The sleep apnea test is the only biased method of assessing the accurate sleep disorder the patient is afflicted with as well as determine the gravity of the condition.

* Understanding the severity of the condition holds the key to selecting the most suitable treatment method. This is an essential contribution of the sleep apnea test, not like other cause-based treatment methods, sleep apnea treatments are not based completely on sleep apnea causes. They rely more on the gravity of the condition.

The objects of the sleep apnea test are to make out the type of sleep disorder the patient is diagnosed with; weigh up the gravity of the condition; track down the site and nature of obstruction in the airway. The test uses computerized data recording mechanism to write down various physical and physiological parameters during sleep, which otherwise would not be seen by the patient, and hence cannot be verbalized.

The sleep apnea test is known by numerous names: polysomnogram examination, overnight sleep- study, sleep apnea study and so on. It can be accomplished either at a trustworthy and accredited sleep study center or even at the home of the patient.

The procedure of the sleep apnea test includes the following parameters:

* Brain waves by electroencephalogram (EEG)

* Eye movements by electro-oculogram (EOG)

* Muscular functioning by electromyogram (EMG)

* Oral and nasal air flow

* Chest and abdominal movements

* Loudness of snoring

* Oxygen levels in the blood using oxymetry

In addition, sleep apnea test takes video recording of the entire sleep period to keep record of episodes of parasomnias like seizures, sleep walking or talking, etc.

Although allowing the doctor to choose the best treatment method based on sleep apnea test is perceived to be the biggest advantage of the test, there is still another additional advantage of the procedure. It can be done in advance – as soon as the patient feels one of more symptoms of this dreadful disabling sleep disorder.

To be able to do this, one has to become aware of the sleep apnea causes and the identifiable symptoms. For example, obesity, excessive consumption of alcohol, wrong sleeping posture are some of the most common sleep apnea causes and the symptoms that most patients experience include loud and persistent snoring, rapid and unexplained weight gain, excessive daytime tiredness, recurrent waking in sleep caused by breathlessness, etc.

It is only when the patient is able to co-relate the causes with the symptoms, a sleep apnea test can be conducted without hesitation, so that suitable treatment can be started without delay.

Looking to find the best deal on sleep apnea machines, then visit www.apneadevices.org to find the best advice on appropriate sleep apnea test for you.