What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder defined by pauses in breathing or shallow breathing during sleep. Common symptoms include snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, trouble concentrating, and choking or gasping during sleep.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. In this condition, the airway collapses or becomes partially blocked during sleep by the surrounding tissue which is the cause of snoring or pauses in breathing.
Before any testing or treatment, it is important to understand your symptoms and how they impact your life. The ‘Stop-Bang’ Questionnaire below can be used to estimate your risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Answer each question and click calculate to get your score. A score of 3 or more could mean you have a moderate to high risk and should set up an appointment with a doctor.
Screening is the first step
Use this BMI calculator to answer question 5
Testing
If you are at risk for sleep apnea based on a screening like the one above, Dr. Burton may refer to a local sleep specialist. Physicians can better diagnose sleep apnea based on the results of a sleep study. Follow up testing is often recommended to determine if treatment is effective or needs to be modified.
Treatment
There are several treatment options to resolve snoring and symptoms associated with sleep apnea. CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) used to be the only treatment prescribed until oral appliances became more popular and widely accepted over the past 10 years. Both are considered effective solutions for mild/moderate obstructive sleep apnea while CPAP remains the standard of care for severe obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.
