Sleep Apnea Tests & Diagnosis

General Tests

When you experience symptoms of fatigue and irritability, the doctor will generally conduct a physical exam and ask a series of questions related to your personal and family medical history. These questions will help a doctor determine what tests to conduct.

Questionnaires

A doctor might ask you to complete a series of questionnaires that are related to your sleeping patterns. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is one of these questionnaires. Other questionnaires will ask you about your lifestyle, snoring, sleep behavior, and how you feel throughout the day. You might not know the answers to these questions, so you should consider asking your friends and family about your snoring ahead of time.

Blood Test

A blood test cannot directly diagnose sleep apnea. In any case, a doctor may issue a blood test to rule out other conditions that produce similar symptoms. A blood test can effectively identify thyroid conditions and anemia, which both cause sleeping problems and daytime fatigue. A blood test can also identify blood sugar levels to rule out problems such as diabetes. Thyroid problems, diabetes, and anemia can worsen symptoms of sleep apnea, so it is important that you know whether you have these conditions. If other conditions are left untreated, sleep apnea can cause higher levels of damage to the heart.

Sleep Studies

During a sleep study, a doctor will keep you at a laboratory for one or many nights to monitor what happens while you sleep. During a sleep study, a doctor will order a polysomnography, which is a test that documents the electrical activity of your brain, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, breathing, air flow, and blood oxygen levels. A polysomnography is the most accurate and conclusive test available to diagnose sleep apnea.

Electrocardiogram

Al electrocardiogram (EKG) is a test used to check the condition of the heart. Typically, a doctor will use an EKG to check your heart after you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea patients are at a high risk for heart failure and other heart problems, but it is difficult to assess the extent of the damage since symptoms tend to be silent. An EKG will help a doctor assess whether your heart is experiencing problems related to sleep apnea.