{"id":1101,"date":"2016-07-28T10:10:07","date_gmt":"2016-07-28T17:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warnerfamilypractice.net\/?p=1101"},"modified":"2017-09-18T12:59:06","modified_gmt":"2017-09-18T19:59:06","slug":"know-suffer-sleep-apnea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.warnerfamilypractice.net\/know-suffer-sleep-apnea\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Know If You Suffer From Sleep Apnea"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a long day of back-to-back meetings, conference calls and replying to emails, you head home. At home, you make dinner, get the kids ready for bed, read them a bedtime story and tuck them in. Now that the kids are fast asleep, you can finally sit on your comfy couch and catch up on your favorite TV show. It doesn\u2019t take more than two minutes after you get comfortable before you start snoring!<\/p>\n

A day like that can make anybody sleep like a baby. Our body can only take so much before it needs to rest. What is most frustrating about the scenario described above; for you, this is every day.<\/p>\n

Although this may be a case of fatigue, many people live like this. You get your seven to eight hours of sleep but you are still tired. Every time you go to sleep, you snore through the night. What you may not realize is that throughout these snoring episodes (episodes your partner is well acquainted with) your body is not receiving enough oxygen. Throughout the night your breathing stops for short periods of time.<\/p>\n

This is Sleep Apnea.<\/p>\n

In this article we discuss what Sleep Apnea is in more detail as well as the treatment options we have available at Warner Family Practice.<\/p>\n

What Is Sleep Apnea?<\/h3>\n

We must start off and say that Sleep Apnea is a serious and life threatening condition. Sleep Apnea is defined as a condition where your airway temporarily collapses during sleep, causing breathing to repeatedly stop and start. Most patients who suffer from OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) will experience low levels of oxygen in the blood, high blood pressure and a decrease in quality of life due to headaches and drowsiness.<\/p>\n

In many cases sleep apnea goes without being treated because you are not aware it is happening. You are, after all, asleep.<\/p>\n

How Do You Know If You Have Sleep Apnea?<\/h3>\n

Some signs of sleep apnea include loud snoring, dry mouth, morning headaches and shortness of breath. The best way to determine if you have sleep apnea is by getting screened.<\/p>\n

At Warner Family Practice we encourage you to have an annual comprehensive physical where we ask you a series of questions pertaining to your health. During this screening process you will be asked about your sleeping patterns; based on your responses we can determine if you are a candidate for having a sleep study.<\/p>\n

If you take daytime naps, you snore throughout the night, you constantly feel tired (even though you had 7 to 8 hours of sleep), or have a high BMI, then you may have sleep apnea. When you meet these criteria, a sleep study will be conducted.<\/p>\n

What Is A Sleep Study?<\/h3>\n

In order to determine if you have sleep apnea, a sleep study test is conducted, starting with a questionnaire. In this questionnaire, we ask a series of questions related to your medical history. Based on your responses in this beginning section, the second section of the test will be determined. On a scale of 1 to 3, you will rank the following:<\/p>\n