Dream big, sleep right: Navigating sleep apnea with at-home testing

Sleep apnea is more than just snoring. Symptoms like gasping for air during sleep, daytime fatigue, morning headaches, irritability, difficulty concentrating and more can impact the health and quality of life for people living with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea. Understanding the signs of sleep apnea and the path to better, quality sleep can make a significant difference in a person’s overall wellbeing.

"Sleep plays an essential role in our health and daily functioning,” says Stephanie Stahl, MD, FAASM. “Proper sleep plays a role in attention, memory and learning. It allows the body to rest and restore itself. Impaired sleep increases the risk of many health issues, including depression, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and illness. Adequate sleep duration, maintaining a regular sleep-wake schedule and good sleep quality are all important to optimizing sleep and our health."

Those who suspect they may have sleep apnea may benefit from a sleep study. It can help evaluate the cause of poor sleep quality, understand the severity of their symptoms and be the catalyst in developing a treatment plan with a provider. A sleep specialist like Stahl can serve as a patient’s guide to a better night’s rest using their sleep test results.

"We work with patients to understand what potential sleep issues could be affecting symptoms, quality of life and other medical conditions,” say Stahl. “Sometimes we find that a sleep disorder is not the cause of the symptoms and rather other medical conditions or medications are the cause. We decide if a sleep study or other sleep-related testing should be done. We treat sleep disorders and work with patients to optimize sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep scheduling."

Recognizing the signs of sleep apnea and seeking professional evaluation can help restore healthy sleep patterns and improve overall well-being. Today, sleep testing options have become more convenient than ever. IU Health’s home sleep apnea care offers a complete sleep study from the comfort of home, using advanced monitoring technology that tracks breathing patterns, oxygen levels and sleep stages overnight.

If you’re experiencing symptoms, don’t wait. Start your journey with a virtual screening to explore the answers you need for better sleep and better health.