It is important to undergo Sleep Testing, for an accurate diagnosis of your symptoms. This process can start with your GP.
Your GP can take a detailed history of your symptoms and concerns.
This will may often include:
• Your partner complaining, your snoring is disrupting their sleep
• Your partner moving to another room, due to your night–time noise
• Waking up tired on a regular basis
• Waking yourself up startled and gasping during the night
• Feeling sleepy during the daytime, with a tendency to fall asleep easily, for example in meetings, watching the TV or when sitting comfortably for a
reasonable period of time.
• Having to pull over when driving, due to tiredness
• Feeling your daytime thoughts and memory are clouded, possibly due to your tiredness and poor sleep
• Having a recent diagnosis of high blood pressure, which requires medication to manage this finding
• Weight gain
Your General Practitioner, having taken a detailed history can then refer you to a Specialist Sleep Centre to diagnose and manage your presenting symptoms.
A Sleep Specialist can then determine the severity of your sleep symptoms. You may or may not have Sleep Apnoea, which is typically diagnosed by an overnight Sleep Study. This is done by an In Hospital Sleep Test (Polysomography) or at home, with a Home Sleep Test ( HST) depending on your medical assessment of need.
Your Consultant in Sleep Medicine, following tests and analysis of the results, will prescribe and recommend the most appropriate treatment for you. The most common treatments include:
• CPAP Therapy (Continuous Positive Airways Pressure). This is generally for patients who have a diagnosis of severe Sleep Apnoea
• OAT (Oral Appliance Therapy, also called MAD, Mandibular Advancement Therapy) for less severe, mild and moderate Sleep Apnoea, especially with
night–time noise, snoring
• Offer an individualised weight management plan with the help of a dietician in supporting ongoing care.
• Ongoing individualised support in treatment interventions
Untreated Sleep Disordered Breathing can lead to several serious health complications, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.