The most common symptoms of OSA are daytime fatigue, snoring at night, cessation of breathing (apnea), morning headaches and dry mouth.

OSA is a lack of airflow into your lung when you are breathing. This causes a cascade of events from lack of adequate oxygen levels in your blood. Your body responds by releasing hormones that are harmful to your health long term. Untreated sleep apnea is a risk factor for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and abnormal heart rhythms.

Multiple studies have shown that untreated patients with OSA had a higher incidence of high blood pressure (hypertension) and abnormal heart rhythms related to low levels of oxygen in the blood at night. The effects are secondary to hormones being released that increase your blood pressure during the day which effects your risk of coronary artery disease.

Insomnia is either difficulty getting to sleep at night or waking up frequently after falling asleep. Patients with OSA have frequent awakenings throughout the night that do not let them get into deep sleep. This can lead to difficulty falling back to sleep. Insomnia is a common presentation of OSA for females more than males.

Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery disease are all risk factors for OSA. The percentage of patients with DM and OSA is greater than 50%. Not controlling your OSA makes it more difficult to control your DM. Therefore, patients with DM should be screened for OSA.

You should receive an information packet prior to your study. You can also click on the Find a Center section here to get directions to the location of your study. Be sure and verify the address of your particular study.

• Eat all normal meals (do not overeat for your evening meal)
• Take all medications as normal (if you need to start medications during the study, you must self administer them, as we do not)
• Abstain from caffeine beverages after noon the day of the study
• Bring comfortable items to sleep in. Pajamas, nightgowns, etc. Sleep clothing is mandatory!
• Bathe and arrive with clean hair. Do not use gels or hair products. Be aware that the electrodes are adhered with a gel. Allow time to return home in the morning to shower.
• Bring your driver's license and a copy of your insurance
• Arrive at 8:30PM!

Insurances often dictate where a person can go to have their study. Although we attempt to make it most convenient for the patient to minimize trip times, this is all dependent on which facility is accepted by your insurance.

The paperwork that you fill out prior to the study provides a smoother night for you when you come in. There are multiple pieces of information that we use to provide better service to you and avoid having to make you fill out further forms in the future. This information helps assure that we only ask once for your information to make your sleep study proceed as smooth as possible.

Obtaining a sleep study at a qualified lab with Sleep Solutions assures top quality in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea. Our technicians are registered in their profession. Direct observation allows them to modify any problems that are occurring with your equipment and the ability to adjust these. Also, there are currently no means for you to do a CPAP titration at home with the use of a technician.

Yes, please inform the staff during your scheduling of any special needs you have and these will be accommodated to the best of our abilities to assure a comfortable and safe night for you on the night of your CPAP.

Your technician will review different mask types and fits to allow you to acclimate to use of CPAP. This is a common occurrence for many patients. However, rest assured that your technician will work with you to provide the best experience for long term management of your sleep apnea. Also, there are special programs that you can do called "desentization" that can allow you to become used to using your mask in a comfortable way. Often, coordination with your health care provider can help with these difficulties.

Yes. Take all your prescribed medicine the night of the study in order to provide a scenario to what you would be used to at home. If you take sleep aids, ask your health care provider sending you for your sleep study whether they want you to take them the night of your sleep study.

Although you will have multiple sensors on your body during your study, you will easily be able to move while asleep. They are arranged neatly to provide you the opportunity to move and even get up and out of bed. The technician will instruct you how to call for assistance if you need to go to the bathroom.

No. Most people have the worst sleep apnea when trying to sleep on their back. Therefore, we try to get patients to have part of their study on their back. However, if this is not comfortable for you, just inform your technician of any positions you can not sleep in.

We have infrared cameras to record your activity while you sleep. This is standard throughout all the sleep study industry in order to look at certain sleep and neurological disorders that require video observation for diagnosis.

Yes. Although a complete night of sleep provides a better picture of your sleep for the night, even a few hours of sleep allows the diagnosis of OSA and other disorders to be made.

No. Just be sure and notify the scheduler when you are called for your study to assure that we provide accommodations for this.

Yes, most studies are completed by 6am -7am in the morning. Therefore, you can go to work that same day. Some facilities provide showers to accommodate these situations.

It usually takes approximately 2-4 weeks to notice the benefits of CPAP. However, for some people the results are much sooner and others later.

You should usually not snore through your mask. This suggests that your pressure may be too low and may need adjustments on your machine. Contact your health care provider for this.

Definitely. It is recommended that you continue to use your machine while in the hospital. Often medications given to you in the hospital that cause pain relief and sleepiness can worsen your apnea. So, it is important that I you use it when away from home.

Most airlines now accept CPAP as a carry on device. However, these rules are in constant change. Check your airlines website to see if your CPAP is allowed in the cabin.

Contact your DME (Durable Medical Equipment) company for the proper electrical outlet converters for your travel destination.

Often, traveling to higher destinations requires adjustment of your machine. Contact your DME provider to determine if it needs to be changed.

Surgery and oral appliances are also options for therapy for OSA. However, patients must be carefully selected for these therapies. Follow-up with your health care provider to discuss alternative options for therapy.

For those patients with elevated body mass index (BMI) > 25, weight loss can be a significant help for OSA. However, weight is not the only factor in OSA and often those patients with normal BMI still continue to have sleep apnea. The majority of patients, however, will notice decrease pressures needs with weight loss. It is usually recommended after losing 20 lbs to have a repeat sleep study in order to determine if your apnea has resolved or you need a decreased pressure setting.

Many machines have the capability to download information from them. This provides information to the health care provider concerning hours of use, average pressures, air leak problems and other issues that may be happening with the machine. This allows better adjustment of your machine to provide optimal treatment of your OSA.

Insurances are starting to require that you prove that you are using your machine in order for them to pay for it. They will require a follow-up with your physician 4-6 weeks after beginning use of your machine. Compliance is stating that you are using your machine more than 4 hours per night for greater than 75% of the time. If this is not occurring, you will have the opportunity to try it again and recheck this information. Some insurances will require the machine to be returned if you cannot meet these standards.

Sleep Solutions Po Box 699 Madisonville, LA 70447

We accept all major credit cards including VISA, Mastercard and American Express.

Yes

Various insurances are accepted depending on where you are having your study. You will be contacted prior to your study to assure that we can take your insurance and discuss what is covered by your insurance and which portion you are responsible for.

Contact the DME that provided your machine to get further supplies. If you are serviced by Sleep Solutions, please contact us to get further assistance at (888) 875-7557, ext. 4.

Please click here to read, print Medicare & Manufacturer guidelines for CPAP equipment. You may also enroll for auto re-ordering of supplies.

Yes - when you first acquire your CPAP, you will be provided with the option of auto-enrollment for supply re-ordering. You will be notified automatically when it is time to order new equipment and be informed of your responsible payment portion (if any) prior to it being ordered. It will then be delivered to your home . Please click here if you would like to enroll in the program.

Please call the provider who set up your machine. Not all medical equipment is disbursed by Sleep Solutions. Insurance plans will dictate often which company is allowed to dispense medical equipment to their patients. If you were provided your machine by Sleep Solutions - please call us at (888) 875-7557, ext. 4.

Difficulty with masks are common among patients. Fortunately, there are multiple different types of masks for all patients. By speaking with your local DME provider ( the person who brought you your machine) you can often troubleshoot the problem and try different mask types. Also, having difficulty with your mask may be part of a problem with sinus disease, anxiety, allergic rhinitis and high machine pressures. These issues may require the intervention of your physician to assist with troubleshooting issues. Follow-up 4-6 weeks after obtaining your machine will help work through these problems.

Please click here to read and print CPAP equipment cleaning tips.

On the Sleep Study Request Form, under "Please order one of the following", choosing the option in the upper left hand box this allows the most versatility to be provided for a sleep study. If patient has only the PSG box selected, in order to get a CPAP, another order will have to be sent. Also, with choosing of the left upper hand box the patient will be automatically referred for DME, which will decrease time to treatment for the patient. If you wish for your patient to just receive the PSG/CPAP and not DME - you can choose these options on the order form.

In order for a patient to have both a diagnostic PSG/CPAP on the same night they must meet the criteria of significant apnea events, meaning an AHI of 25.0 or greater in the 1st half of the night. Also, most insurances require that patients have at least 2 hours of sleep time before the determination is made and many insurances also require that the CPAP be performed for at least 3 hours. Therefore, if the patient does not meet AHI criteria or adequate time available to perform the CPAP titration, they will have to return for a 2nd night of study.

If your patient had severe AHI of > 40 events/hr or severe oxyhemoglobin desaturations, it is protocol to attempt CPAP titration on the patient. This prevents delays in regard to treatment so that the patient may be set up immediately for CPAP at home.

Many patients that lose a considerable amount of weight after a bariatric surgery will no longer require CPAP therapy. However, approximately 30-40% of patients post-bariatric surgery still have OSA. Therefore, the best determination is to repeat the patients PSG/CPAP study in order to determine if it is still necessary and if so, what is the best pressure for treatment.

Click on this link download and print blank forms. Or contact our marketing department at Sleep Solutions for larger quantities.

There are multiple processes involved in obtaining a sleep study. Once the patient has had their study, a registered technician will review the study to "score" it in order to prepare for a physician review. Then, once the physician reviews the study, it is sent back to make a completed report. Then, this is immediately sent to the referring physician. Sleep Solutions prides itself on returning study results as quickly as possible. You may also login to Sleep Solutions server to access a study for faster review.

Insurances are starting to require that patients prove they are using their machine in order for them to pay for it. They will require an initial 4-6 week follow-up to review compliance data. Compliance is defined as more than 4 hours per night of use for greater than 75% of the time. (This is about 30 days out of the 6 weeks ) If not, the patient will have another 6 weeks to attempt to do the same as compliance data is re-reviewed. Some insurances will require the machine to be returned if usage cannot meet these standards.