What to Expect During Sleep Study

Your physician wants you to have a Sleep Study done. Their office has scheduled an appointment. What's next? What do you do? Where do you go? Are there needles involved? What if I can't sleep?

It can be confusing when your doctor walks back into the room and tells you he/she thinks you have Sleep Apnea.

What is that anyway?
Sleep Apnea is what they call it when you stop breathing during your sleep for 10 seconds or more. This can be mild, in which case you might not need any therapy but would be monitored and possibly take another sleep exam in one-two years. A moderate case would mean you stopped breathing quite a few times during the night and would likely need to come back for the second part of the Sleep Study. The severe cases always come in for the second test and likely have other prominent and severe health issues that will be addressed by your physician.

Why am I having this done?
That is between you and your physician. I do not know or understand why sometimes your doctor will not mention WHY you are having the test done. I do know that I have patients that have ranged in age from 3 years to 68 years old. Some of them have had other health problems such as partial hearing loss, diabetes or some sort of heart condition. Others seem perfectly healthy but are under severe stress and the sleeping medications aren't helping. There is no way for your Technician (Sleep Tech) to know for sure why you are there. This is something you should ask your doctor.