At-home sleep tests look for apnea

Sleep apnea affects nearly 39 million people in the United States, with many more potentially undiagnosed due to the traditional requirement of a clinical sleep study.

However, new options are emerging that might encourage more people to get tested.

Drowsy during the day, Robin Collier from Fort Myers had no idea what was happening during her ‘night life’ until she went in for a sleep apnea test.

“When I got the sleep study results back, I was pretty shocked at how severe my case was,” said Collier.

Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep specialist with Millennium Physician Group, explained the condition to WINK News health and medical reporter Amy Oshier.

“We define an apnea if there’s a 90% decrease in breathing for at least a minimum of 10 seconds,” said Dr. Abbasi-Feinberg.

Dr. Abbasi-Feinberg warned that untreated apnea can lead to serious health issues, including heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s.

“It’s a double-whammy: not enough oxygen and not enough sleep,” said Dr. Abbasi-Feinberg.

The only way to diagnose apnea is through sleep monitoring using sensors that track the brain, heart, and respiratory system. Traditionally, this was done in a clinical setting, but now reliable at-home tests are available, allowing people to stay in their own beds.

“This will get taped on with a belt, basically. And this has a couple of little wires, a little oxygen sensor that goes on your fingernail and a little nasal cannula. And you turn this on, it uses an app. You sleep with it at night for one night at home, you upload the data, and you mail this thing back,” said Dr. Abbasi-Feinberg.

The aim is to simplify the process, encouraging more people to seek treatment if necessary.

“We’ve tried to simplify this as much as possible to make it accessible to more people,” said Dr. Abbasi-Feinberg.

At-home sleep tests are becoming more accessible, and even the Apple Watch can detect signs of apnea by tracking breathing disturbances.

While this is not enough for a definitive diagnosis, it can indicate whether further testing is needed.