If you are having problems with sleep, your doctor may want to perform a test to determine whether you have obstructive sleep apnea testing. This can be done at home or with an overnight study in a sleep lab (sometimes called a sleep center).
Obstructive sleep apnea is most common and is caused by blockages in the airway, usually from the soft tissue of the nose or throat. Obstructive sleep apnea results in the collapse of the upper airway during breathing, which can reduce or prevent oxygen intake and cause snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea can lead to a variety of complications, including high blood pressure and heart disease, stroke, obstructive diabetes, depression, obesity, and irritability.
An in-lab sleep study (sometimes called polysomnography or PSG) is the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea. You spend the night in a room that looks like a hotel bedroom, but with monitors attached to your body that measure muscle movements, brain activity, and respiratory effort. The monitors also record snoring and oxygen levels. The sleep test typically lasts about an hour and can be uncomfortable, but it is important to provide accurate information for your health care provider to use to diagnose you.
At-home tests are available, but they can be less reliable than in-lab studies. To get the most accurate results from a portable monitor, don’t nap during the day or drink caffeine, alcohol, or heavy meals before going to sleep with it. Sleep with it on your back or side, as most people with obstructive sleep apnea breathe better when they are lying on these positions.
Your doctor may also consider a drug-induced sleep endoscopy, or DISE, a special nasopharyngoscopy that is performed while you are under sedation, allowing your health care provider to see and identify anatomical structures that might narrow your airway and cause snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. A similar procedure, nasopharyngoscopy with sedation, or DISE, is an office procedure in which a flexible fiberoptic endoscope is introduced through the nose and throat under mild sedation to observe the upper airway during sleep.
The treatment for obstructive sleep apnea includes weight loss, wearing an oral appliance or using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which keeps the upper airway open by forcing air through it during breathing. Surgery is an option for people with obstructive sleep snoring and severe obstructive apnea who have not achieved a reasonable weight loss through diet and exercise. Some studies suggest that bariatric surgery can improve obstructive snoring and sleep apnea in some patients. Other treatments for central sleep apnea include medications, lifestyle changes, and surgical procedures to remove excess tissue from the nose and throat. Follow-up visits with your doctor are important to check that your treatment is working well. If it isn’t, your doctor may need to change the medication or surgical procedure to improve your symptoms. Your health care provider might also refer you to a specialist, such as an ear, nose, and throat doctor or a pulmonologist.
