Considering people can have hundreds of episodes a night, it's imperative that apnea receives swift treatment. But often this doesn't happen because people are unaware of apnea's telltale warning signs-loud snoring, choking or gasping for breath during sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. In addition, according to Stacia Sailer M.D., University of Massachusetts Sleep Disorder Clinic, most doctors don't have formal training in sleep and nearly 70 percent of people have never been asked by a physician about their sleep patterns. The good news though is that sleep apnea is easy to diagnose with a sleep study test conducted in a sleep clinic. During the study, patients spend the night with sensors attached to their head, chest and legs.
Clinicians monitor the patient via video monitors and signals from the sensors.
With CPAP, the patient is fitted with a soft plastic mask where a device supplies pressurized air through a tube connected to the mask. The pressure keeps the airway from collapsing. While patients may balk at the idea of wearing a mask, the difference it can make in their quality of life usually wins most people over. Sleepy A more mysterious sleep disorder affecting one in every 2,000 people is narcolepsy. This chronic neurological condition causes excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks.