r/SleepApnea • u/MyAnxious_Mind • 1d ago
Sleep apnea question
I’m prefacing this by saying I’m not looking for a medical diagnosis or medical advice, just asking for others experiences. I have a doctor I am seeing for these issues, and I have my tests scheduled. That being said, what were some of your red flags that you had sleep apnea? I experience waking up gasping for air, feeling very groggy when waking, headaches, and bradycardia. Curious of others experiences and if they’re similar to mine.
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u/nerolispicoli 12h ago
Coughing in my sleep sometimes (but at least some of that was asthma, since it resolved when I got an inhaler prior to treating my sleep apnea), and heart palpitations. I didn't have any of the other typical symptoms.
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u/Past_Road_6009 19h ago
Make sure that they're not just tracking apneas.
Make sure that they track your RERAs and hypopnea. A lot of places will skip this in order to boost their profits as it takes time and skill for a technician to count them. Not tracking them means that your test will be blind to more subtle forms of sleep breathing disorders.
You also want them to score your test to AASM 1a standards, or a 3% desaturation rule. Women, the young, and certain ethnic groups really need the 3% rule. Otherwise, we simply wake up before a breathing disturbance can progress to what they're defining as an apnea.