Diagnosing the Problem

To determine the best treatment, your doctor will ask about your sleep problem and examine you. An overnight sleep study may also be suggested. This study helps show whether or not your snoring is due to sleep apnea.

History

Your doctor may ask about:

• How long you’ve snored
• Your sleep habits
• How well you sleep and whether you’re sleepy during the day
• Your lifestyle and your work
• Medical conditions you have
• Medications you take
• The impact of snoring or other symptoms on your life and the life of anyone who lives with you

Physical Exam

Your doctor may check your mouth, throat, and nose. Your weight, blood
pressure, heart rate, and neck size may all be recorded. Your doctor may insert a thin, flexible tube through your nose into your throat to check the the throat tissues. You may also need lab tests and x-rays.

Your partner, if you have one, can tell the doctor what happens when you are asleep.

A physical exam looks for problems that can block the airway.

Sleep Study

A sleep study (see page 6) gives the best picture of how you breathe when you sleep. Your doctor may ask you to spend a night at a sleep clinic. Or you may be loaned a small monitor to use at home. Either way, your breathing, heart rate, oxygen level, and other functions are measured and recorded. The findings help determine which treatments will best help you.