Pike Medical Consultants has begun offering patients a new and easy way to perform sleep studies in the comfort of their own home. The low cost test is an alternative to studies performed in sleep labs, which can be time consuming and costly. The study is performed on a small, easy to use sleep recorder, and several patient-friendly connections that record the patient’s sleep data. The test is designed to assess the severity of the patients snoring and apnea and to help identify any type of obstruction which may be causing the problem.
Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, can be a serious disorder, and can be potentially life threatening. OSA occurs when there are repeated episodes of complete or partial blockage of the upper airway during sleep. This occurrence can reduce the flow of oxygen to vital organs and cause irregularity in heart rhythm. OSA can be mild, moderate, or severe depending on how many times per hour the apneas occur.
A sleep study can give you a positive diagnosis of sleep apnea. This is important because if sleep apnea is not diagnosed and treated, it can interfere with your quality of life. If you have sleep apnea, you may be at risk for excessive daytime sleepiness and complications such as high blood pressure, depression, coronary artery disease, and stroke.
Pike Medical Consultants is working alongside Snap Diagnostics to provide patients with a low cost and effective way to be tested for OSA. The test is offered to patients who have common risk factors associate with snoring and apnea.
