How We Help With Sleep Apnea
We provide a comprehensive approach to obstructive sleep apnea. Our team of sleep specialists and respiratory therapists work towards diagnosis, education and lifestyle so that you can have effective treatment for your sleep apnea.
The first step is to do a sleep apnea test. Your doctor may refer you for a portable sleep test or an in laboratory sleep study (polysomnography). Currently we do not charge for a portable sleep study. If you have been referred for a portable sleep study, a qualified technician will set you up and educate you on how to use the monitor overnight in your house.
You will be given instructions and questionnaires to fill out in order to have a successful screen of your sleep disorder. You will only be required to sleep one night with the monitor on, and you will put three to five sensors on your body before you start sleeping. These sensors will collect information such as your heart rate, oxygen levels, and nasal airway pressure and snore. This information is downloaded the next day, and sent to a sleep physician to be interpreted. The interpretation results will be sent to your family doctor in four to ten days.
If your sleep study is negative for sleep apnea but you have symptoms of sleepiness, then your family doctor may refer you to a sleep physician to further investigate the symptoms. If you are positive for sleep apnea, you may require a trial of CPAP to see whether the effects of sleep apnea can been treated. We offer a complementary multi-week trial of CPAP to determine if this treatment is right for you. Once the benefit of CPAP therapy has been established, terms and options for equipment purchase will be agreed upon. We will assist with the paperwork for any available third party coverage you may have (insurance billing).
Our staff will help you understand the use, maintenance and cleaning of your CPAP equipment, so that you get the best and longest use of the machine, and minimize the possibility of infection. We will also notify your family doctor of our progress, and provide you with follow-up care to ensure your treatment is meeting its goals.