ANCSLEEP BLOG

Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder in the United States. About 24 million people live with symptoms of sleep apnea without knowing that they have it. There are many individuals who will only be able to get diagnosed with an at-home sleep apnea test as they won't have access to a sleep center that does them.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition where the muscles in the back of the throat relax, blocking the airway during exhalation. The body must then wake up briefly to begin breathing again. These awakenings are often unrecognized by the sleeper, but may be heard by bed partners or observers who witness the chocking, coughing, and snoring associated with sleep apnea. The sleeper may feel excessively tired during the day, have headaches, and find it hard to stay awake, but be unsure why.

Treating OSA can help relieve some of these symptoms, but also prevent the development of many serious diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. This is why diagnosing and treatment are extremely important. Continue reading to learn more about at-home apnea tests.  

When you think of a sleeping disorder, you may think more about individuals who have trouble falling asleep. This is known as insomnia. However, if you fall asleep too quickly, that may also be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder.

Falling asleep too fast is normally characterized as being able to fall asleep anywhere, or nodding off almost immediately after laying down. Continue reading to learn more about sleepiness, and what may be some indications for you to speak to your health professional about your symptoms.  

If you are having trouble sleeping, then your primary care physician may refer you to a sleep specialist. It can be difficult to determine who should be your sleep doctor. Of course, here, we would love for you to be our patient. However, it's important for you to make an informed decision about who is going to handle your sleep health.

There are certain characteristics that you should consider whenever you are choosing a sleep doctor. This way you can get the appropriate testing that you need. Learn about what a sleep specialist is, what training and board certification is required, and how you can choose the right doctor that will provide you with the health that you were looking for. 

Sleep studies normally consist of coming into a lab and have physicians and other sleep professionals watch you sleep for the night. They take various measurements to identify any potentially sleep disorders. When you wake up in the morning, they normally have a lot of data to go through to determine what it is that may be causing you trouble getting to sleep. 

Well in the wake of the pandemic, sleeping in a health facility is becoming increasingly less available. That is why at-home sleep tests may be the best option for you, and it's important that you are aware of what your options are. Continue reading to find out more about sleep tests you can perform at home. 

Why Get a Sleep Study

It's easy to underestimate the importance of sleep. It affects every single area of your life: physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. Therefore, if you're not getting enough sleep, then you are negatively affecting several aspects of your life.

If you're aware of why you're not getting enough sleep (stress, late night activities, poor sleeping) then it may be easier to make changes to improve your sleep. However, if you're at a loss as to why you're unable to sleep well, one way to determine the issue is a sleep study. Keep reading to find out more about what sleep studies are, and how you can find one. 

The point of a sleep study is to evaluate why you aren't sleeping very well. In this case, you or your doctor may suspect that there are medical reasons causing your lack of sleep, such as:

• Sleep apnea
• Insomnia
• Parasomnias (circadian rhythm disrupting conditions)
• Narcolepsy
• Restless leg syndrome

Sleep studies allow for the formal diagnosis of some of these sleep disorders. Fortunately, sleep studies are fairly non-invasive. Some people tend to worry that they won't be able to sleep while they are being watched and monitored by a sleep technician, however, this is rarely the case. 

What is a Sleep Study?

A sleep study, also called a polysomnogram (PSG), is a non-invasive study conducted at a sleep center. Sleep specialists monitor your sleeping, via PSG equipment ,in order to assess what kind of sleep quality you are getting and, where applicable, any sleep disorders you may be dealing with.

During a sleep study, many aspects of your sleep will be evaluated and monitored, such as:

• Brain wave activity
• Eye movements
• Breathing
• Muscle contractions
• Heart Activity
• Blood oxygenation

Results from your sleep study are analyzed by sleep physicians and sent to your healthcare practitioner to review with you.

What is a Sleep Study?

Sleep studies are important diagnostic tools for common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian and rhythm disorders. Sleep studies have proven to be particularly important in Alaska where the extreme darkness and lightness tend to either cause or worsen sleep disorders.

Sleep studies are non-invasive and painless. They monitor:

• Brainwave activity
• Eye movement
• Muscle movement
• Heart activity
• Breathing
• Blood oxygen level

In a sleep study, you will conduct your sleep study over night at our facility. The results from the sleep study will help either provide a diagnosis or clarify what (if anything) may be causing concern.

What is a Sleep Study?

Sleep studies are important diagnostic tools for common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian and rhythm disorders. Sleep studies have proven to be particularly important in Alaska where the extreme darkness and lightness tend to either cause or worsen sleep disorders.

Generally, sleep studies are used when:

1. You feel there are major “red flags” in your ability to get healthy sleep but don’t know what the problem is
2. You need to confirm a specific sleep disorder diagnosis

Sleep studies are non-invasive and painless. They monitor:

• Brainwave activity
• Eye movement
• Muscle movement
• Heart activity
• Breathing
• Blood oxygen level

You will conduct your sleep study overnight at our facility.

Signs That I Need a Sleep Study

For many of us, the idea of having a sleep study is an exotic “wouldn’t that be interesting?” kind of thing. However, countless examples of recent research on the importance of sleep are bringing sleep studies into the mainstream. I personally know several people whose lives have been changed by sleep studies. Sleep quality is critical for everything, from peak athlete performance to heart health to brain health.

However, sleep time does not always equate to sleep quality. There are numerous signs that you might need a sleep study, regardless of what time you go to bed and wake up. Some signs that your sleep quality is poor are:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness

• Unexplainable, consistent malaise and fatigue

• Daily irritation, anxiety, or mood swings for no clear reason

• Difficult concentrating, such as “brain fog”, or cognitive impairment

• Decreased sex drive

• Poor performance at work (regardless of the occupation, as sleep affects performance at every output)

• Stress without a clear reason

• Obesity without clear reason

• High blood pressure

• Heart disease

• Heart attack

• Irregular heart beat

• Diabetes

• Morning headaches

In other words, if you have generally been feeling down and out for no clear reason, it might be time to do a sleep study. Quality sleep means you are there for your spouse, family, and friends. They want the happy you, not the crabby, tired you.

What is the Real Purpose of Sleep Study?

Sleep studies are important diagnostic tools for common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian and rhythm disorders. Sleep studies have proven to be particularly important in Alaska where the extreme darkness and lightness tend to either cause or worsen sleep disorders.

Sleep studies are non-invasive and painless. They monitor:

• Brainwave activity
• Eye movement
• Muscle movement
• Heart activity
• Breathing
• Blood oxygen level

For our sleep studies, you will conduct it overnight at our facility. The results from the sleep study will help either provide a diagnosis or clarify what (if anything) may be causing concern.