What Should I do if I Suspect a Problem?





What Should I do if I Suspect a Problem?

It might seem difficult for you to find out on your own, whether you snore while sleeping. Most people do snore sporadically, and in that case, it should not be a cause for concern. The problem arises when there are daily episodes of loud and proficient snoring, while you are sleeping. This is because it is most likely to be a result of a sleeping disorder - obstructive sleep apnea.Many patients fail to describe their sleep related symptoms to doctors making diagnosis difficult

However, come to think of it - there are more than one way to find whether you snore or not, and if you are also at a risk of having sleep apnea:

1. Ask your Bed Partner: Discussing about your suspected snoring with your bed partner will help you assess the situation better. Your snoring pattern is easily audible to the person next to you, and on many occasions, this might be the reason to keep them awake at night. Therefore, it is always good to ask them for their comments and it is the easiest way to know if you have a snoring problem.

2. Record it for Proof: This technique will work for those usually sleep alone, and don’t have anyone to tell them whether they snore. You can setup an audio or even a video (as per your convenience) - on your smartphones, mobile devices, recorders, etc., to record your sleep routine. You can listen to the recorded tape the next day, to find out whether you have a snoring problem.

3. Apps to Track Sleep: The above two methods may not provide you with all the details for your snoring, such as its severity level. To eliminate this drawback, many Android or iPhone apps are available on mobile app stores, which will let you know in detail about the gravity of the issue. The app has a recorder that archives the snoring pattern and displays the results on a digital severity meter.

Take a sleep test at home

There are home sleep tests available, that allow you to conduct the test in your bed, without any intervention. The one sleep test offered by ResMed is a low touch diagnostic tool which is a simple & smart way to check your sleep quality.

Maintain Your Personal Sleep Log

You can also look to create a sleep log for yourself. Your personal sleep log can have categories like, sleep time, wake-up time, mood after sleep, etc. Once you fill in these details on a regular basis, it will give you a better understanding of your sleep routine, based on data collected over a period of several weeks. Sleep logs are commonly used by caregivers to diagnose sleep disorders.

Snoring affects your daytime routine too. Knowing these can also give you insights on snoring patterns. These include daytime dizziness, headaches in the morning, lethargy, and irritability. All these are results of bad sleep due and snoring. If you experience any of these indications quite often, it can be a cause for alarm for you.

All these tips work well in moderating your sleep schedule to keep your physical and mental health in the good form. Sleep good, stay good.

Seek Professional Help 

Administering these techniques can make the situation clear to you, but identification is just the beginning, and the real work begins once you start attending the problem. You can always seek professional help from a doctor, for proper treatment of the problem. There are several self-help treatment options for sleep apnea. However, seeking professional advice is always recommended, to better address your snoring problem.

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