How do you test for sleep apnea?

I have been told that I snore loudly and sometimes sound as if I am gasping for air when I sleep. I understand that these could be signs of sleep apnea. I was wondering how you test someone to determine if they have sleep apnea?

Doctors Answers (3)

SomnoDiagnostics, Inc.
Answered on: 6/6/2014 1

Sleep apnea testing is non-invasive and should not be inconvenient. SomnoDiagnostics sleep disorder center is similar to a hotel room/bedroom. Spending the night in our sleep lab usually requests an arrival time of 8:00 p.m. and you are typically discharged around 6:30 a.m. If you need to leave earlier than 6:30 a.m., then you should speak with the technician and alert them of your required discharge time. Monitoring devices and patient education are completed prior to the beginning of the study. The technician monitors you throughout the night and Dr. Gordon Gibson then reviews the study the next day and forwards the results to your PCP with recommendations and suggestions.

Richard L. Jacobson, D.M.D., M.S.
Answered on: 5/15/2014

We have a scanner at our center that will accurately measure your airway. This can be used to confirm the diagnosis of sleep apnea.

Lily Eng, DDS, DABDSM
Answered on: 5/15/2014

A sleep study is needed to definitively test for sleep apnea. It can be done at a lab overnight or with a portable sleep study device at home. Your physician or a sleep medicine dentist can prescribe one for you or refer you to a sleep center or physician who will also be the one who will read and decipher the test results.