Get Tested for Sleep Apnea at Home

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is the most common type of sleep apnea, and it affects around 4 percent of men and 2 percent of women over 35. OSA is a condition in which there is a lack of adequate air flow in the airway during sleep for greater than 10 and up to 120 seconds, due to a partially or fully collapsed airway, leading to sometimes profound drops in oxygen levels. The exact numbers of people with sleep apnea are unknown because it is considered to be massively under-diagnosed. Up to 95% of sleep apnea sufferers have no idea they have the condition. Under-diagnosis is common because the symptoms of sleep apnea are somewhat vague, knowledge of the disease is low among physicians, and because testing for sleep apnea has generally been expensive and involves going to a sleep lab overnight.

However, all that is changing. Home testing for sleep apnea is becoming increasingly available. For example, The Aviisha Medical Wellness Institute offers a home sleeping test, which allows users to determine if they have sleep apnea at home. There is no need to attend a sleep lab and pay the associated costs of traditional sleep apnea testing. The home study is easy to use and costs a fraction of what attending a sleep lab would cost. The Aviisha home sleeping test is also the only test of its kind available directly to consumers, and Aviisha is the only company that offers a sleep physician to conduct an interview with the patient at no extra cost, as part of the package. The apnea test collects data on sleep patterns overnight, and then Aviisha staff members conduct an evaluation of the home study to arrive at a diagnosis. The home sleeping test can be ordered directly from the aviisha.com website at http://www.aviisha.com/sleep-well/home-sleep-test.

For patients with a diagnosis of sleep apnea, there is effective treatment. The most commonly used OSA treatment, continuous positive airway pressure therapy or CPAP, usually results in improved sleep and reduced symptoms of sleep apnea. CPAP treatment involves wearing a mask that delivers a steady stream of air through the nose during sleep, which prevents airway collapse and obstruction. It seems clear that evaluation at home has many advantages, including significant cost savings and improved comfort for patients. Home study may be the most significant step forward in sleep apnea testing and could significantly improve diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for patients with sleep apnea.