Sleep apnea could be dangerous if left untreated. A sleep study can offer a solution to that issue.
Loud snoring, waking up and gasping for air, morning headaches, a dry mouth; that’s what life is like for millions of people living with undiagnosed sleep apnea globally.
It’s a condition that makes people stop breathing while they sleep, which leads to the body waking up to continue breathing. That can make for many restless nights, said Kim Barber, manager of sleep services at Memorial Health.
“Because you’re really not getting good restorative sleep,” she said, “It affects everything if you’re driving. I mean, you can have a car wreck, you can, you know, hurt yourself, injure somebody else.”
This is especially true for those who operate heavy machinery.
“It’s really dangerous if you operate heavy equipment,” Barber said, “I mean, obviously we don’t want to do that if we’re sleep deprived. It’s just, it’s not healthy.”
A lack of sleep can be dangerous. It negatively affects the heart, energy levels, eyesight and more.
That’s where a sleep study can help.
A referral is needed, but it can help get sleep back on track.
The idea of having someone watch a patient sleep may sound strange, but it is more comfortable than it might seem.
“The beds are adjustable,” Barber said, “We have a bathroom in every room, so you’re not sharing or anything like that, and it’s private.”
This test is noninvasive. It takes an entire night so medical professionals can see how a patient sleeps daily.
Once the sleep study is over, results are sent to a specialist. If sleep apnea is diagnosed, there is a way to treat it. A care provider can prescribe a CPAP, or continuous airway pressure mask, to help patients breathe while they sleep.
The Sleep Solutions Center at Memorial Health’s MediEquip sees patients daily for CPAP mask fittings.
Larie Rodriguez, respiratory assist coordinator at Memorial Health, said they see a lot of patients.
“I would say we do between 50 to 60 new patient set ups a month,” she said, “Yes, between 100 to give or take 150 new referrals a month.”
She said the masks are personalized to each patient’s needs.
“I let the patients choose the mask,” she said, “I want them to be comfortable and so I go off a few of them, name a few off of them, explain the difference between them and let that patient choose at that time and go from there.”
A CPAP machine delivers pressurized air continuously through the nose, helping people with sleep apnea rest easy.
“So what we are going to do is put a little mask on your face during your sleep study after you’ve been diagnosed,” Barber said, “We adjust that pressure to the pressure that will keep your airway open. For most people, it’s not connected to oxygen as well, it’s just set at a higher pressure to help keep your airway open.”
Rodriguez highlighted the center’s high patient satisfaction.
“People truly come in and talk about how much better they feel in their CPAP, how things have changed for them so much,” she said, “They’re able to get up during the day, especially like our older patients. They’re like, ‘I get to spend time in my grand, my grandkids and feel better’.”
Keep in mind, patients should use a CPAP for four hours or more to get the full effects.
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