High risk for sleep apnea? What to do next

You took a sleep apnea screening and discovered that you could be be at greater danger. What does that imply?

First, a high-risk screening end result doesn’t imply you will have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Screening instruments search for signs, bodily options, and different elements linked to sleep apnea. They will establish individuals who might have additional analysis, however they can not diagnose the dysfunction.

In a 2025 health advisory, the American Academy of Sleep Drugs famous that sleep apps and gadgets can present helpful details about your sleep, however they can not diagnose sleep apnea or verify that you simply should not have it. Even when a tool reveals that you’re at greater danger, it is very important talk about the end result with a well being skilled.

A prognosis requires a complete sleep analysis and applicable testing.

What did the screening search for?

A sleep apnea screening considers a number of clues that may level to the next danger.

Symptoms throughout sleep could embody loud loud night breathing, pauses in respiration, gasping for breath, insomnia, and unrefreshing or stressed sleep. You additionally could wake often in the course of the night time to make use of the toilet.

Throughout the day, folks with sleep apnea could expertise sleepiness or fatigue, morning complications, irritability, reminiscence issues, and issue concentrating. Some folks additionally expertise drowsy driving.

Some folks could not understand what occurs whereas they’re asleep. A mattress associate or member of the family will be the first to note loud loud night breathing, gasping, or pauses in respiration.

Bodily options can also improve your danger. Extra physique weight is a serious danger issue for sleep apnea, though folks of any physique dimension can have the dysfunction. Different risk factors embody a bigger neck, enlarged tonsils or tongue, a small or recessed jaw, nasal polyps, or a deviated septum.

Different well being situations additionally could also be necessary. Hypertension, coronary artery illness, stroke, coronary heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and sort 2 diabetes are among the many medical situations generally seen in folks with sleep apnea.

Your age, intercourse, and household historical past can also have an effect on your danger. Sleep apnea is extra frequent in males, and the chance for ladies will increase with menopause. Having a member of the family with sleep apnea additionally will increase your danger.

You don’t want to have all of those signs or danger elements to have sleep apnea. Likewise, having a number of danger elements doesn’t imply that you’ve it.

A high-risk end result isn’t a prognosis

A screening can inform you that you could be be at greater danger for sleep apnea. It can not inform you whether or not you even have it.

Scientific instruments, questionnaires, and prediction strategies shouldn’t be used on their very own to diagnose OSA. Analysis requires both an in a single day sleep study, which is carried out in a sleep middle, or a home sleep apnea test.

Consider your screening end result as a purpose to take the following step, not as a last reply.

So, what occurs subsequent?

Speak with a well being skilled about your screening outcomes.

Your clinician will take into account the screening end result alongside together with your signs, sleep historical past, well being historical past, and bodily examination. This complete sleep analysis helps decide whether or not you want a sleep research and which take a look at is acceptable for you.

Earlier than your appointment, it might assist to write down down the signs you will have seen. Protecting a sleep diary for 2 weeks might be useful. Ask a mattress associate whether or not they have seen loud night breathing, gasping, or pauses in your respiration throughout sleep.

You can also convey a duplicate of your screening or self-assessment outcomes to debate together with your clinician.

Chances are you’ll want a sleep research

The best sort of sleep research will depend on your particular person circumstances. Some folks could possibly full a house sleep apnea take a look at, whereas others might have an in a single day sleep research in a sleep middle.

If a house sleep apnea take a look at is unfavorable, unclear, or doesn’t accumulate sufficient data, that might not be the top of the analysis. In case your sleep crew nonetheless suspects sleep apnea, an in a single day sleep research will be the subsequent step.

Take the following step

In case your screening reveals that you’re at greater danger for sleep apnea, don’t deal with the end result as a prognosis. Don’t ignore it both.

Talk with a health professional about your screening end result, signs, and danger elements. A complete sleep analysis and, when applicable, a sleep research can decide whether or not you will have sleep apnea and what ought to occur subsequent.

You may as well use a self-assessment tool to evaluation frequent signs and danger elements and talk about your outcomes together with your clinician.

Medical evaluation by Ahmed Saleh, MD

This text was created utilizing editorial instruments, together with AI, as a part of the method. Human editors reviewed this content material earlier than publication.

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