If you think you have Sleep Apnoea, it is essential to consult a Healthcare Professional, who will refer you for a variety of investigations, dependent on your presenting symptoms and a diagnosis, to discuss appropriate treatment options. Here are the key steps you can take:
Check for Symptoms:
Breathing Stopping and Starting:
Do you stop breathing and then start again while you sleep?
Is your bedpartner observing these symptoms?
Gasping, Snorting, or Choking Noises:
Do you make these noises while you sleep?
Is your bedpartner witnessing you doing this?
Waking throughout the night:
Do you wake up frequently during the night?
Do you have difficulty falling back to sleep, causing you to feel you do not sleep enough?
Do you have daytime tiredness?
Loud Snoring:
Do you snore loudly?
Does someone else complain of your snoring noise?
Have you been asked to leave the bedroom?
Is your bedpartner leaving the bedroom, due to your snoring?
Is your night-time noise disruption causing arguments?
Consult a Doctor:
If you have any or all of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your General Practitioner to discuss your concerns. Your General Practitioner can send your referral letter to info@beacondentalsleep.ie which is a health mail address, ensuring complete privacy in the transfer of your referral letter. Your referral will be triaged and you will be contacted within a short period of time, to schedule an appointment with Dr Abhilash Sahadevan, Consultant in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine. Your investigations will most likely include a Sleep Study which takes place in Hospital (Overnight Polysomography) or a Home Sleep Test (HST) may be ordered and completed overnight at home.
Sleep Testing
Overnight Testing: An overnight Sleep Test assesses a variety of metrics, including your sleep patterns, amongst many other overnight cardiovascular and respiratory metrics, diagnosing or out ruling Sleep Apnoea.
Sleep Apnoea is categorised as Mild, Moderate or Severe.
Understanding AHI
The Apnoea-Hypopnea index (AHI) is the combined average number of Apnoeas and Hypopneas, which occur per hour of your sleep.
(Apnoea Hypopnea Index ) Score:
Mild Sleep Apnoea: 5 to 14 episodes per hour
Moderate Sleep Apnoea: 15 to 30 episodes per hour
Severe Sleep Apnoea: More than 30 episodes per hour
Your Treatment Options:
Dependent on your Diagnosis, Mild, Moderate or Severe Sleep Apnoea:
You may be ordered a C.P.A.P. (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, to manage optimal overnight oxygenation.
You may be referred for O.A.T. (Oral Appliance Therapy) otherwise known as M.A.D. (Mandibular Advancement Device), to assist in your optimal overnight oxygenation.
You may be encouraged to attend a Nutritionist to assist in weight loss, if weight is an issue for you.
Several other interventions, dependent on your presenting symptoms may be suggested related to optimising your Sleep and oxygenation, occasionally with a variety of other symptoms, which may be interrupting your Sleep.
By following these key steps, a diagnosis of Sleep Apnoea may or may not be made. If you are diagnosed with Sleep Apnoea, you will receive the most appropriate treatment, designed for you, to manage your condition. Improving the quality of your Sleep, managing your presenting sleep concerns or overnight symptoms, optimising your overall health, are key to the management of your Sleep Disordered Breathing.
For further information, please email:
or call 01 5310088
Click here to download the Beacon Dental Sleep Patient Brochure