How Can a Sleep Diary Help with Diagnosing Sleep Apnea?

Do you think you might have sleep apnea? It’s important to have the disorder diagnosed as soon as you can so that it can be treated properly. However, it’s not always easy to recognize sleep problems for what they are. That’s why you need to give your sleep expert as much data as possible about your sleep habits – and one way to make sure they have that information is to keep a sleep diary.

What is Included in a Sleep Diary?

You can use a sleep diary to keep track of all kinds of sleep-related information. This can include the time you went to bed, the time you woke up, and how long it took you to fall asleep. It’s also a good idea to take note of how many times you woke up during the night, as well as how well-rested or tired you felt in the morning. You can even write about factors that can potentially have an impact on sleep quality, such as any medications you took during the day or whether you engaged in any exercise.

What Can Your Sleep Diary Tell a Sleep Expert?

Your sleep diary can serve as a record for your sleep patterns as well as potentially concerning symptoms. This data can give your sleep expert important clues regarding the nature of any sleep-related issues that you might be suffering from. For example, if your diary indicates that your sleep is frequently interrupted during the night and that you often feel unusually drowsy during the day, it could be a sign that you have sleep apnea.

Based on the information you give them, your sleep expert may recommend undergoing a sleep study in Weatherford in order to diagnose any underlying sleep disorders. If the results of the study indicate that you have sleep apnea, you can start pursuing an appropriate form of treatment.

What Can You Do About Sleep Apnea?

While sleep apnea is traditionally treated with a CPAP machine, many patients find this approach to be too noisy or uncomfortable. As such, you may want to consider oral appliance treatment instead. A customized oral appliance can reposition your lower jaw and tongue in order to minimize the chances of your airway becoming obstructed during the night, thus reducing sleep apnea episodes.

Ignoring sleep apnea for too long can have serious consequences for your overall health and your quality of life, so you definitely want to have it diagnosed sooner rather than later. By keeping a sleep diary, you can give your sleep expert invaluable insight into your situation, which can ultimately help them point you toward the treatment option that’s truly right for you.

About the Author

Dr. Deborah A. Romack went to Baylor College of Dentistry. Since 2005, she has completed a number of continuing education courses that covered obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, and similar topics. At her current practice, Weatherford Dental Sleep Medicine, she is proud to be helping patients improve the quality of their slumber with fully personalized oral appliances. If you think you might have sleep apnea, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Romack by visiting her website or calling (817) 594-3806.