Home Testing for OSA and How It Works

In video number six of this series, Dr. Popper discusses home testing devices for obstructive sleep apnea and how they work. This video series is designed to answer your questions regarding sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. If don’t find an answer to your question here, please come back soon as we’re always adding new videos. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when a new FAQ video is posted. If you need information quickly, feel free to contact us here on the site or on our Facebook Page. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

What Is a Home Sleep Test and How Does It Work?

A home sleep test is a portable device that can be used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in an appropriate patient in the comfort of their own home. This device usually measures four parameters of sleep; respiratory effort, by attaching a belt across the chest and the abdomen to demonstrate efforts to breath; there’s usually a cannula-type device that has probes inside the nostrils and above the lip to measure airflow or air pressure; and a pulse oximeter, which is a clip that fits over the fingernail bed and measures both oxygen and heart rate.

Resources for Locating a Sleep Specialist

This is installment number five in our Video FAQ series by Dr. Popper designed to address your questions about sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. In this brief video, the doctor shares a few resources to help you locate a board-certified sleep specialist and an accredited sleep center near you. If your question hasn’t been answered in this series, come back soon as we’re continually adding more videos. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when a new FAQ video is posted. If you need information quickly, feel free to contact us here on the site or on our Facebook Page. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

How Can You Find a Board Certified Sleep Specialist Near You?

If you suspect that you are suffering from a sleep disorder, it’s important that you consult with a board certified sleep disorders specialist at an accredited sleep center. There are three excellent websites available to help you with this search: First, visit The American Academy of Sleep Medicine at aasmnet.org. You will also find valuable help and information at The National Sleep Foundation’s website at SleepFoundation.org as well as the “Find A Center” search resource at SleepCenters.org, which has recently changed it’s web address to SleepEducation.com.

Treatment Options for OSA

In this fourth FAQ video in our series, Dr. Popper discusses several available treatment options for patients suffering from OSA. This series is designed to address frequently asked questions regarding obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. If your question has not been answered, come back soon as we’re continually adding more videos to this series. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when a new FAQ video is posted. If you need information quickly, feel free to contact us here on the site or on our Facebook Page. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

How is OSA Treated?

There are a variety of treatments available for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Weight loss is always encouraged for those patients who are overweight. In patients who’s sleep apnea occurs predominately on their back, they can be trained or taught to sleep on their sides and this is often effective in treating their obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

In addition, various surgical procedures can be performed by either ear, nose and throat doctors, or dentists, to remove some of the obstructing tissues in the upper airway. Dentists also make what are known as oral appliances, which are devices that are placed within the mouth to either hold the tongue down or advance the lower jaw forward, bringing the tongue away from the back wall of the throat.

A newer device, known as Provent Therapy, provides positive airway pressure through the use of a small valve that is inserted through the nostrils and held in place by a bandage-type device.

The treatment of choice for most cases of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a device called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).

Diagnosing the Presence of OSA

In this brief video explanation, Dr. Popper goes over the typical steps taken by physicians to determine whether or not a patient is suffering from OSA. This third video in the series to address frequently asked questions regarding sleep disorders is short and to the point. If this video doesn’t answer your question, come back soon as we’re continually adding more videos to this FAQ series. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when a new FAQ video is posted. If you need information quickly, feel free to contact us here on the site or on our Facebook Page. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

How is OSA Diagnosed?

The first step in the diagnosis of sleep apnea is to obtain a thorough history and physical examination with concentration on sleep related symptoms, which can be performed by your primary care physician or a board-certified sleep medicine specialist.

Once the suspicion of sleep apnea is made, a sleep study is the next step. There are two types of sleep studies. There is a screening version, known as a home sleep study, which monitors a few parameters pertaining to sleep. And there is the more comprehensive sleep study, known as a polysomnography examination, which is performed in a sleep center. There are advantages and disadvantages to both a home sleep study and an in-sleep-center polysomnographic evaluation.

An Explanation of the Causes of OSA

This is the second video in a series designed to address some of the most frequently asked questions regarding sleep disorders. If this video doesn’t answer your question, visit again later because we’ll add more videos to this FAQ series. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when a new FAQ video is posted. If you need information quickly, feel free to contact us here on the site or on our Facebook Page. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

What Causes OSA?

Upper airway tissue obstruction can occur from a deviated nasal septum, which is the cartilage that runs up and down the middle of the nose, or from enlargement or hypertrophy of the turbinates, which are these ridges that occur within the nose. Some patients will have a droopy soft palate, which is the structure in the back of the throat. The uvula is often enlarged. That’s the little “punching bag” that occurs in the back of the throat. The tonsils can be enlarged. And the tongue is often enlarged.

Sleep Apnea – A Definition

With this video, we begin a series designed to answer the most frequently asked questions regarding all topics related to sleep disorders. If this video doesn’t answer your particular question, come back often as we’ll be adding more videos to the FAQ series. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when a new FAQ video is posted. If you need information quickly, feel free to contact us here on the site or on our Facebook Page. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea is a disorder manifest by snoring and holding of the breath. Patients are often unaware of the breath hold. They often will awaken with a snort, a gasp, or a grunt or choking sensation. They still may not be aware of this and these may only be brought to their attention by a bed mate or spouse.

Theravent May Be The Solution For Many

Theravent is a disposable nightly snoring device that is FDA approved to reduce or eliminate snoring. It has been proven to reduce snoring in separate clinical studies and is available without a prescription. On average, successful Theravent users reduced snoring by 76%, as measured using a decibel meter worn on the forehead. Theravent uses the same patented MicroValve Technology that was previously only available with a prescription.

Lisa Sigell of CBS2 news returned to Southern California Pulmonary and Sleep Disorders Medical Center for a second interview with me. This time the subject was severe and chronic snoring. Snoring is seen as a comical issue to many people, but it can disrupt a family’s rest and lead to more serious health problems. Snoring itself may be an indication of an already existing health issue that needs medical attention. I discussed some new treatments with Lisa.

Narcolepsy Symptoms and Treatments

Today I’d like to talk to you about a sleep disorder called narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is manifest by a symptom complex consisting of excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep hallucinations and sleep paralysis. All of these symptoms do not need to be present to make a diagnosis of narcolepsy, but when excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy are present the diagnosis can be made clinically. In the absence of cataplexy a sleep study and another type of study called a multiple sleep latency test are required to confirm the diagnosis.

So what is narcolepsy? Let’s look at the components of narcolepsy. Daytime sleepiness can be found in many disorders such as sleep apnea, periodic limb movements during sleep, shift work, it could be the result of medication or other medical disorders so daytime sleepiness by itself is not a sufficient symptom to make a diagnosis of narcolepsy.

Treatments for Restless Leg – Restless Limb Syndrome

In this session, I’d like to discuss some of the treatment options for restless limb syndrome. The primary treatment class of medications for this are known as dopamine agonists. This is a class of medication used primarily for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. When using these medications for the treatment of Restless Limb Syndrome we use them in a much smaller dose than we would use for Parkinson’s Disease and therefore the potential side-effects are much less

The most common drugs within this classification are Mirapex or pramipexole and ropinirole or Requip. The most common side-effects that occur when using these medications include headache or nausea, increased sleepiness or fatigue, and some patients feel drugged or have difficulties upon rising the next morning. There’s a black box warning that talks about a very uncommon side-effect which is sudden uncontrollable sleep attacks. This is almost never seen in patients with Restless Limb Syndrome and has primarily occurred in patients with Parkinson’s Disease who are taking vastly larger doses of this medication than patients with Restless Limb Syndrome would ever take.

The NFL Raises Public Awareness About OSA

Obesity has long been associated with an increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Neck circumference guidelines (greater 17 inches for men and 16 inches for women) as a risk factor for OSA came out of several studies on NFL players. The University of Connecticut reported that the increase in body mass in football players since the 1970’s has occurred primarily in offensive and defensive linemen.