Obstructive Sleep Apnea is diagnosed by a physician called a sleep specialist. Questionnaires can determine the likelihood of sleep apnea, but true diagnosis requires a polysomnogram, or what is usually called a sleep study. Sleep studies are conducted in a sleep lab.
During a sleep study, monitoring devices are attached to the patient so that several variables can be monitored during a full night of sleep. These variables include:
- Brain wave activity.
- Eye movements.
- Muscle activity of the legs and the jaw.
- Body position.
- Heart rate and rhythm.
- Blood pressure.
- Snoring frequency.
- Respiratory activity.
- Oxygen saturation level of the blood.
Osborne Family Dental provides sleep apnea therapy in conjunction with your physician or sleep specialist. If you wish to be assessed for sleep apnea, contact your physician for a referral to a sleep specialist, or call us to arrange a consultation with Dr. Osborne. We also provide a simple and inexpensive take-home sleep study that can be self-administered in the comfort of your own bed use the Watermark Home Sleep Study device. This sleep study provides excellent screening to determine if you show evidence of sleep apnea, and whether or not a sleep specialist is a good idea.