One of our Atlanta-based ENT specialists can find out if your snoring is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea. To evaluate this, you will need to take an overnight sleep study called a polysomnogram. Typically, this test measures the individual’s heart rate, respiration, brain activity, eye movement, and blood oxygen level. You will be diagnosed with OSA if two things occur:
- You stop breathing due to a blockage of the airway for more than 10 seconds while asleep.
- This happens more than five times per hour of sleep.
If you have OSA, the sleep study will show if it is mild, moderate, or severe. A person with OSA is often very sleepy during the day due to consistent waking in the night; these brief awakenings keep you from enjoying long periods of deep sleep. OSA may lead to sleepiness, heart attack, stroke, and automobile accidents.