What Is Sleep Apnea?
5. How Is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?
The first step of diagnosis is the evaluation of your symptoms by a physician. If your primary care doctor suspects sleep apnea, he or she typically will refer you to a specialist for a sleep study at a center for sleep disorders. During a sleep study, you will spend the night at the center while your vitals and breathing patterns are monitored by medical professionals.
If an in-lab sleep study is not possible, there are monitoring options that can take place at home. Your physician may choose to have you monitored with an at-home monitoring test. This type of test is not as accurate as a sleep study and is more simplified. If the results are abnormal or inconclusive, sometimes a sleep study at a center is still needed before proceeding.
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