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What's Sleep Study?
If your nighttime breathing difficulties are leading to apnoeas (temporary breathing cessations during sleep), your healthcare provider may recommend a sleep study. Sleep studies are conducted to evaluate the presence and severity of sleep apnoea.
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Sleep studies can be conducted either in a sleep clinic or within the comfort of your own home. During the study, the patient's breathing, body movements, and responses throughout the night are monitored to identify potential sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea.
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Here's what your patients should know about what happens during a sleep study:
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What Sleep Studies Measure:
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One crucial aspect assessed during a sleep study is the severity of the patient's condition, determined by the Apnoea Hypopnea Index (AHI). The AHI, measured per hour during the study, indicates the number of apneas and hypopneas the patient experiences.
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In addition to AHI, the diagnosis considers the patient's oxygen desaturation. Once the sleep study results are obtained, healthcare providers can discuss the presence, severity, potential health implications, and treatment options with the patient.
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Sleep Apnea AHI Score Chart
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Conducting Sleep Studies:
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In a Sleep Lab or Hospital: In this setting, a sleep technician places sensors on the patient's body to monitor various aspects, including heart activity, eye movements, brain signals, and muscle activity. The patient is also fitted with devices such as a nasal cannula to monitor breathing, an oximeter on the finger to record oxygen levels, and bands around the chest and stomach to measure breathing effort. With consent, staff may film the study to gain additional insights.Patients spending the night in the facility should bring their usual sleepwear and toiletries.
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At Home: A home sleep study offers the same monitoring capabilities as a hospital or sleep lab but provides the comfort of one's home. Before the study night, a sleep clinician instructs the patient on applying sensors and monitors, along with using the recording device. On the scheduled night, the patient follows their regular evening routine, attaches the equipment as instructed, and starts the recording. In the morning, they remove everything and return the recording device to the sleep lab or hospital.
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Conclusion:
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Sleep studies are crucial in evaluating sleep disorders, and the results help guide discussions about the patient's condition, its severity, potential health impacts, and available treatment options. for more information please contact www.cpap.ae
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