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Questions asked about sleep studies.

Q: What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

A: Following is a list of sleep apnea symptoms.

• Loud irregular snoring, gasping for breath
• Sudden body movements before breathing starts
• Restless sleep
• General lack of energy
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Morning headaches
• Decreased interest in sexual activity
• Depression
• Irritability
• Poor job performance

Q: Is treatment available?

A: Treatment begins with a sleep study. Your recommended treatment plan will depend, of course on the results obtained from your study.

Whatever treatment follows, you will feel better than you have in a long time. You will finally get a good night's sleep on a regular basis and be refreshed for the new day ahead.

Q: What can I expect during a sleep study?

A: First of all, Sleep Technology will work with you according to your schedule. Sleep Technology realized that many people work different shifts. We will work with you for a convenient appointment.

In general you will arrive at Sleep Technology between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Upon your arrival, our technician will apply electrodes with a medical paste. this procedure takes about 45 minutes to complete. Once the hookup is completed, you can enjoy TV in your private room until you are ready to go to sleep.

During the study, our caring professional staff will be monitoring your brain waves, muscle activity, heart rhythms, oxygen level, leg and arm movements while you sleep. you will be able to get up during the night if necessary. The sleep study is generally finished by 6:00 a.m. For your added convenience we have shower facilities and we also can provide you with a light breakfast.

Q: Is snoring a serious problem?

A: Loud, habitual snoring accompanied by gasping and pauses in breathing may be a sign that you have a serious sleep disorder called sleep apnea. These interruptions of breathing may last as long as 90 seconds and occur several times a night. Normally it is family members who observe the interrupted sleep patterns.

This is a potential life-threatening condition that does not allow you to receive enough oxygen during sleep. If untreated this can result in excessive daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure and heart failure.

Q: What causes sleep apnea?

A: During sleep, all muscles relax much more than they do during waking hours. Some people's throat muscles relax more than normal which compromises breathing.

In other cases, the muscles relax to a normal degree during sleep, but the throat passage is smaller than normal, so closure occurs. In other people the brain "forgets" to send the necessary instructions to the breathing muscles.

Q: Are there different kinds of sleep apnea?

A: Sleep specialists distinguish sleep apnea by three basic patterns of breathing disturbances.

Obstructive sleep apnea

The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea. People with this type of apnea, probably snore, experience daytime drowsiness and have little energy. Obstructive sleep apnea is a result of the tongue, tonsils, muscles or fatty tissue blocking airflow. it is most common in overweight men between 35 and 50 years old.

Central sleep apnea means that the brain does not effectively signal the body to breathe. It is less common than obstructive sleep apnea and typically affects people as they get older. Central sleep apnea affects approximately 25 percent of people over 60 years old. They experience very restless sleep.

People may also have mixed sleep apnea, a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea.