Sleep apnea is a sleeping condition that can be very threatening to our health. Properly measuring the severity of the sleep apnea disease is important so I will tell you how it can be done.
So, how is sleep apnea measured? Sleep apnea is measured by a unit referred to as “Apnea-Hypopnea Index” or shortly called “AHI” and this is used during a sleep study session or a polysomnography.
The Apnea-Hypopnea Index is an index used to indicate the severity of sleep apnea and it is represented by the number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep.
Apnea means to stop breathing or the heart literally stops beating for a few seconds up to minutes.
While hypopnea translates to “low breathing”, derived from Greek roots “Hypo” meaning “Low” and “Pnoia” meaning “Breathing”.
Coming from the meaning of the name itself, hypopnea is when someone is experiencing overly shallow breathing or an abnormally low respiratory rate.
For example, a good AHI score or Apnea-Hypopnea Index should be at “<5” which is a normal rate. For mild, it’s 5<15 and for moderate sleep apnea, 15<30. For severe sleep apnea, it’s beyond 15<30.
So, depending on how many times you experience an “apnea” event or a “hypopnea” event, your AHI score or “sleep apnea score” may also be different.
The more apnea events that occur during your sleep, the higher your AHI score will be and the more it is likely that you do have sleep apnea.
Your AHI score will be determined through a sleep study or formally called a “polysomnography”.
A sleep study is where technicians will be monitoring your brain waves, oxygen levels in the blood, heart rate, breathing, as well as eye and leg movements during sleep.
You will sleep, technicians will monitor your body’s activities as you sleep by attaching special devices to your body and the recorded data will be forwarded to your doctors to analyze your diagnosis.
How to measure sleep apnea through a sleep study
In order to do a sleep study to measure your sleep apnea, you have to schedule an appointment as you visit your doctor and ask about a sleep study.
A sleep study can be done in two different places. It can be done at your home or you can sleep over at the sleeping center. It’s more commonly done in the center but a home sleep study can be cheaper.
The sleep study service may range from $150 up to $500 but it can be higher depending on where you live and the medical company you chose.
You can also check if your insurance can cover the sleep study expenses to help you save money.
You will be asked several questions at first like an initial interview to see if you really do need the sleep study. Questions you can expect when you are scheduling your sleep study appointment are the following:
- Do you snore constantly and loudly?
- Do you experience pauses in breathing during sleep?
- Are you a heavy drinker?
- Do you exercise frequently?
- Do you smoke a lot?
- Does your family have a history of sleep apnea?
- Do you feel tired right after waking up?
A sleep study is formally known as a polysomnography, the word “somn” derived from Latin “Somnus” which means “sleep”.
When you do a sleep study, you most likely will only have to sleep and put on a couple of devices but still be comfortable. You’ll be staying inside a cozy room and you are allowed to bring personal items for sleeping.
What happens is that technicians will be monitoring your brain waves, oxygen levels in the blood, heart rate, breathing along with eye and leg movements as you sleep.
You don’t have to worry because they can do all that with the help of a machine so there is no reason to feel uncomfortable.
Using the bathroom is also completely fine during a sleep study. You are also free to use your own pajamas to make you feel more comfortable.
Sleep studies exist to diagnose sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, insomnia, and nighttime behaviors like sleepwalking and REM sleep behavior disorder.
Patients are required to arrive at least two hours early before sleeping in the lab.
Before you sleep, technologists will place sensors or electrodes on your head and body so the machines can monitor your sleeping habits. There is no need to worry because you can still move around freely.
The only possible risk of a sleep study is mild skin irritation after having sensors attached to your body for the entire night.
This is rare to happen, but it is the only risk as well. There is nothing else to worry about.
Once you have successfully scheduled your sleep study, you will be advised to do a couple of things or avoid certain things to prepare for the study.
- Avoid food and drinks in the afternoon and evening
- Your food and drinks can disrupt your sleeping behavior and make your condition worse
- You have to avoid caffeine and alcohol for the day
- Caffeine and liquor are also huge factors that can worsen sleeping conditions that must be avoided before the study
- Napping in the afternoon is discouraged
- You might end up having a hard time sleeping on time in the evening during the sleep study
- You’ll be required to shower before the sleep study
- This can help you feel refreshed and ready to go to bed, making it easier to fall asleep
- Do not use makeup, gel, lotions, cologne and anything similar
- These can get in the way of electrodes being used to monitor your sleeping habits
What happens if you don’t measure your sleep apnea
If you are wondering what can happen if you don’t bother measuring the severity of your sleep apnea, there are plenty of risks that should change your mind.
First of all, you won’t be able to find out how you can treat your condition.
You also won’t know if you sleep apnea is already life threatening or not and then you won’t find out the right air pressure you need for treatment.
In other words, measuring sleep apnea is a crucial step for recovery because it is a chronic disease that does not go away on its own.
Why you should measure your sleep apnea
Measuring your sleep apnea is the same as getting properly diagnosed in order to find out how to get treated.
So, let me give you plenty of reasons why you should get your sleep apnea measured by showing you what unmeasured or “untreated” sleep apnea can do to your health.
- Sleep apnea causes:
- Death
- Sleep apnea interrupts breathing that can affect the heart and the brain which can lead to sudden death during sleep.
- Difficult breathing
- Sleep apnea can occur when there is an obstruction in the airway or the brain is unable to function well that helps the body breathe, causing difficult breathing.
- Snoring
- If there is an obstruction in the airway, the muscles around the throat may vibrate and cause snoring.
- Worsens other illnesses
- Being unable to breathe well during sleep disrupts your entire body’s functionality and eventually attacking the other diseases a patient may already have.
- Heart problems
- With sleep apnea, you are more prone to heart problems such as heart failure or heart attacks. This is due to the lack of blood oxygen levels.
- Irregular heartbeat
- Due to the low blood oxygen levels or the air is unable to reach your heart, it can lead to an abnormal heartbeat or pauses in breathing during sleep.
- Stroke
- Similar to heart problems
- Depression
- Being unable to breathe well during sleep and get the proper rest can mess up your emotions or eventually lead to depression.
- Weight gain or loss
- Sleep apnea messes up your body’s hormone production. You can end up gaining weight faster due to sleep apnea.
- Diabetes
- Having sleep apnea disables the body’s ability to control the sugar level which can lead to diabetes.
- High Blood Pressure
- Sleep apnea can potentially cause or worsen hypertension in people.
- Increases ADHD
- Being sleep deprived decreases the person’s ability to focus, worsening conditions such as ADHD.
- Headaches
- The lack of air that enters the brain can lead to other brain problems, but usually results in morning headaches.
- Daytime sleepiness
- Difficulty breathing at night can lead to restless sleeps, making you feel the need to stay asleep even during the day because your body couldn’t rest well at night.
- Insomnia
- Difficulty in breathing can lead to insomnia. Instead of waking up randomly at night, you will end up being unable to sleep.
- Seizures
- Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
- Irritability
- When you are sleep deprived, you will unconsciously lose control of your emotional stability. You can become irritable or easily frustrated with sleep apnea.
- Poor memory
- Sleep apnea causes sleep deprivation which may lower your brain’s performance as it affects the brain activity, causing poor memory in patients.
- Respiratory diseases
- Sleep apnea is a respiratory disease that may cause other diseases or worsen them.
- Driving accidents
- The lack of concentration and daytime sleepiness can lead to driving accidents when you have sleep apnea.
- Death
See? People should not take sleep apnea lightly. Even moderate sleep apnea can turn severe any moment and should be continuously treated and that can only be done if it’s properly measured from time to time.
Related Questions
How long does it take to measure sleep apnea?
A full night’s sleep isn’t really required to get an accurate result about your sleeping conditions. In this case, the length or duration of sleep studies may vary depending on the patient.
If the patient does not show signs of sleeping complications during the first study, then it might take another sleep study to figure out the problem.
Can my sleep apnea get worse if the CPAP pressure is too high?
If the air pressure of your CPAP machine is too high, there’s a
possibility that you might experience mask leaks or air swallowing.
If
there are leaks from the mask, there are also other problems that might
occur such as drying the skin, skin irritation, drying the mouth,
trigger allergic reactions or such.
In case the pressure is too
low, your sleep apnea may not be properly treated the way it should but
it will not cause any other complications.
