Ginnorius

tonight is my first sleep test at home for my visit to the sleep apnoea clinic.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea?

Sleep Apnoea is a condition which can affect anyone of either gender and at any age, but is particularly prevalent in males, particularly when overweight, with Maori and Pacific Islanders shown to be more at risk. It occurs when people stop breathing whilst asleep.

What happens is that:
• The person falls asleep
• Tissue in the airway relaxes
• The airway closes and the person stops breathing
• Oxygen in the blood falls
• The brain wakes up and causes the airway to tighten
• The person starts breathing again, often with a loud snort
• The person falls asleep again
• Tissues relax again, and the cycle repeats itself, sometimes several hundred times a night

last time I got tested was 13 years or so ago.. and I no longer feel the benefit if my CPAP machine.

A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is used mainly by patients for the treatment of sleep apnea at home. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway becomes narrow as the muscles relax naturally during sleep. This reduces oxygen in the blood and causes arousal from sleep. The CPAP machine stops this phenomenon by delivering a stream of compressed air via a hose to a nasal pillow, nose mask or full-face mask, splinting the airway (keeping it open under air pressure) so that unobstructed breathing becomes possible, reducing and/or preventing apneas and hypopneas. This has the additional benefit of reducing or eliminating snoring.

So it should be fun. Test goes over two nights.. one wearing the CPAP and one without.