Sleep Apnea Specialist

sleep apnea

How is Sleep Apnea diagnosed?

Your sleep apnea specialist will examine you and ask you (and possibly your bed partner) questions about your lifestyle, snoring, sleep behavior, and how tired you feel during the day. If your doctor thinks you may have sleep apnea, he or she may suggest a sleep study. Sleep studies help us find out how often you stop breathing or have shallow breathing and how much oxygen you have in your blood during sleep. An overnight sleep study is the only way to determine if snoring is benign or if it is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

How is Sleep Apnea treated?

If you have mild sleep apnea, you may be able to treat it on your own by developing good sleep habits, losing weight, and avoiding alcohol and certain medicines before bed (see more Sleep Tips). If you have mild or moderate sleep apnea you may be a candidate for an oral appliance. Only a Board Certified sleep specialist can help you decide what is appropriate for you.

If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, you may need to use a breathing device called a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) that prevents your airway from closing during sleep. Removing tonsils and adenoids is often a curative procedure for children with OSA. However, this rarely helps adults. A more radical surgery involves removing all or part of the soft palate. The lengthy, painful recovery period results in fewer than 40% of patients having their sleep apnea cured by these throat surgeries.

Learn more about Sleep Apnea Testing and what our CPAP Doctors can do for you.

Our sleep doctors bring a holistic approach to assessing and treating all types of sleep problems. Call 847-674-3600 today and get expert care to improve your sleep and your health.

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