Can a Sleep Diary Help Diagnose Sleep Apnea?
September 5, 2019Tired seems to be a normal state for many people. If that is true of you, you may have even accepted that days when you feel refreshed are a rare exception to your usual routine. But that is not right! If you are always tired, you may be suffering from sleep apnea or another disorder. Once you seek diagnosis and treatment, you may be able to start enjoying your life to the full again. Let’s discuss how keeping a sleep diary can be one of the first steps toward becoming a more productive, happier person.
How to Keep a Sleep Diary
A sleep diary is exactly what it sounds like — a record of your sleep-related activity. There is no real “official” or “correct” way to keep track of your sleep. You could download an app on your smartphone that makes it easy for you to monitor your sleep. Or, you might invest in a smart watch that will analyze some sleep metrics for you. Of course, there is nothing wrong with going old school. Using pen and paper to jot down notes about your sleep can provide you with just as much insight as an app.
Here are some aspects of your sleep routine that you might choose to keep tabs on:
- When you go to bed and when you get up
- How long it takes you to fall asleep
- How many times you wake up during the night
- Whether you feel refreshed or sluggish in the morning
- The amount of caffeine and alcohol you had during the day, as well as when you consumed it
- The amount of time you spent napping during the day
Try to be diligent about tracking your sleep for one or two weeks, at the very least. Then, bring your sleep diary with you to a medical or dental professional who has experience in treating sleep disorders. After they look at your diary and ask you some questions, they might recommend that you undergo sleep testing in Jupiter.
Sleep Testing Leads to Diagnosis and Treatment
A sleep diary can give you insight into your habits and the quality of your rest, but it is not an official diagnostic tool. A sleep test, performed in a laboratory or in your home, is the only real way to find out whether you have a disorder that is affecting your sleep. During such a test, a machine will monitor your breathing, heart rate, activity, and other statistics. An expert will analyze the results and let you know if sleep apnea or another condition is responsible for your constant exhaustion.
Fortunately, sleep apnea is usually quite easy to treat. One type of treatment that many patients have benefited from is oral appliance therapy, which uses a mouthguard-like device to reposition the jaw at night to allow for easier breathing.
Are you battling constant tiredness? A sleep diary may help you figure out whether you have a disorder that is the culprit behind your exhaustion.
Meet Dr. Mogell
Dr. Kenneth Mogell, a board-certified specialist in sleep medicine with over 10 years of experience treating sleep breathing disorders is the practice’s founder and primary practitioner. The practice has three South Florida locations: Melbourne, Vero Beach, and Boca Raton. To learn more about Florida Dental Sleep Disorders and Dr. Kenneth Mogell, contact our team at 844-294-7559. We accept Medicare, Tricare and most medical insurance!