Participating in a Home Sleep Study
Every night, millions of people can’t get a restful and rejuvenating night’s sleep due to the issues that arise from difficulty breathing while sleeping. Those who seek relief enlist the help of ear, nose, and throat doctors or sleep specialists to get answers. Depending on a patient’s symptomology, a doctor may suggest a patient participate in a home sleep study.
What’s the Purpose?
Sleep specialists interpret the results obtained after performing a home sleep study to help accurately diagnose certain sleep-related health conditions such as troublesome snoring. Is the snoring just an annoyance, or is there some underlying health issue? Study results will help a specialist to develop a treatment plan for mild to severe sleep apnea. Behavioral modifications might affect change, or the patient might need the assistance of breathing apparatuses. Home studies are also used to measure a patient’s blood oxygen and blood pressure levels while sleeping. Since changes in these levels can be indicative of trouble, monitoring them via performing a home sleep study can be an effective preventative measure.
What’s the Process?
Patients must first get the sleep study machine from their doctor’s office. At that time a sleep specialist will guide the patient through instructions on how to perform the study at home. On the day the study is to be conducted, patients shouldn’t deviate from their normal daily routines; this includes going to bed at a time that is normal for them. It is important that patients make efforts to avoid taking naps during the day and that they avoid consuming caffeine, as well. A home sleep study normally takes just one night to conduct.
When it’s time for the participant to go to sleep, they will connect all the test sensors to their body and follow the careful instructions the doctors taught. After making sure that the machine is turned on and that all prompts have been followed, patients should fall asleep as they normally would. While sleeping, the machine’s sensors collect and record data about bodily functions.
After performing a home sleep study, a sleep specialist will then interpret the results of the data. The patient and the doctor will discuss the results and reach a reasonable diagnosis for the patient. Patients and doctors can have answers to their questions and solutions to their problems in just a little over 48 hours. If someone is having breathing issues, their ability to get a truly restorative sleeping experience is inhibited. Performing a home sleep study is a highly-favored diagnosis tool of ear, nose, and throat doctors because of the study’s ability to diagnose sleep problems accurately, classify sleep apnea complications quickly, and monitor various blood levels precisely. This is a common practice that as already helped thousands of people with their apnea. If you are having waking up groggy and tired, or if you rely on caffeine every morning to wake up and stay alert, you may want to consider participating in a sleep study.
People Also Liked: