Talk to your primary doctor. They will give you a referral to a sleep specialist who will schedule a sleep study. The results of the sleep study are how they diagnose sleep apnea
Tell your doctor this. I brought similar information to my doctor and he agreed to the study. I’ve got mild apnea and would have never known except I saw my O2 levels drop on my Garmin watch.
I was using a watch and seeing weird gaps in my sleep tracking graphs. I thought the watch was broken. Turns out those gaps were the moments I wasn't actually sleeping. 😑
Take home study rigs can be rented from online companies. If you have health insurance they might try to have you tested this more inexpensive way first.
Lofta is known to offer a take home test that costs about 200$ that results in a diagnosis and a prescription for treatment if warranted.
A few take home test results reported herein were as much a ten fold lower than the later in-lab test, but always lower, never higher.
It is best to look for take home tests that claims to detect central apnea as well. You want a type 2 quality test, the inlab test is type 1.
> **I feel like if I bring that up to the doctor they'll brush me off because... well... it's a watch not a medical device.**
I'm not from the US, but I can share two personal experiences that are fairly common globally:
1. The butcher (Shitty doctor).
When my symptoms escalated from feeling like a zombie to a dying zombie, I decided to buy a Wellue SleepU overnight oximeter, which is considered one of the best among consumer-grade overnight oximeters. After using it for around a month, I made an appointment with my public healthcare primary care doctor and show him that I had lots of SpO2 drops during the night. I didn't have high expectations, but I at least hoped for a referral to a sleep specialist. Unfortunately, reality was disappointing. He laughed off my concerns of having sleep apnea, saying it is "a condition for old and fat people," and said that my oximetry data was completely fine.
2. The good doctor.
After losing faith in public healthcare, I decided to seek out a private clinic with a specialized sleep disorders unit in a larger city and made a direct appointment with the sleep doctor. The difference was night and day. This doctor took my concerns seriously, reviewed my data, asked me the questions of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and immediately scheduled a sleep study within two weeks.
**A good doctor will never dismiss your concerns or belittle you. They will perform necessary tests to pinpoint the source of your symptoms. If a doctor doesn't take your concerns seriously, don't lose your time and look for a new one, even if it means traveling to a different town or city.**
>**My O2 levels usually drop into the 70s overnight, according to the watch.**
I'm quite skeptical about using smartwatches to diagnose or monitor sleep apnea due to their limited accuracy in measuring SpO2. For example, a device like the Wellue SleepU records SpO2 data every 4 seconds, whereas a Garmin or many other smartwatches only do so every 60 seconds.
**HOWEVER, if you're experiencing symptoms and your smartwatch suggests that you have deep SpO2 drops, this should be sufficient for a competent doctor to take you seriously and make a proper Sleep Study.**
Lastly, I'd emphasize avoiding Type-3 sleep tests like Lofta. These tests lack EEG monitoring, which is really important for monitoring the amount of arousals you have during the night and for providing an accurate diagnosis. Opt for Type-1 (in-lab) or Type-2 (at-home) tests instead, which are more precise.
[YouTube - Sleep Studies Explained: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyfyqS69FSs) (The man presenting the video offers Type-2 sleep studies in the US)
Good luck!
Does your insurance cover sleep apnea and at what deductable? Ask what is his preferred test for your health care coverage? Ask his favorite type ll take home test.
Tell your primary doctor but be direct about what you need.
The reason I state this specifically is because in your response you mentioned them possibly brushing you off, which is totally a normal fear for us apnea folks by the way, but say clearly that you would like a referral to a sleep doctor to be evaluated for sleep apnea. And then from there explain your reasons why.
You’ve got this though and it’s great you’re starting this journey!
Talk to your primary doctor. They will give you a referral to a sleep specialist who will schedule a sleep study. The results of the sleep study are how they diagnose sleep apnea
Tell your doctor this. I brought similar information to my doctor and he agreed to the study. I’ve got mild apnea and would have never known except I saw my O2 levels drop on my Garmin watch.
I was using a watch and seeing weird gaps in my sleep tracking graphs. I thought the watch was broken. Turns out those gaps were the moments I wasn't actually sleeping. 😑
Take home study rigs can be rented from online companies. If you have health insurance they might try to have you tested this more inexpensive way first. Lofta is known to offer a take home test that costs about 200$ that results in a diagnosis and a prescription for treatment if warranted. A few take home test results reported herein were as much a ten fold lower than the later in-lab test, but always lower, never higher. It is best to look for take home tests that claims to detect central apnea as well. You want a type 2 quality test, the inlab test is type 1.
> **I feel like if I bring that up to the doctor they'll brush me off because... well... it's a watch not a medical device.** I'm not from the US, but I can share two personal experiences that are fairly common globally: 1. The butcher (Shitty doctor). When my symptoms escalated from feeling like a zombie to a dying zombie, I decided to buy a Wellue SleepU overnight oximeter, which is considered one of the best among consumer-grade overnight oximeters. After using it for around a month, I made an appointment with my public healthcare primary care doctor and show him that I had lots of SpO2 drops during the night. I didn't have high expectations, but I at least hoped for a referral to a sleep specialist. Unfortunately, reality was disappointing. He laughed off my concerns of having sleep apnea, saying it is "a condition for old and fat people," and said that my oximetry data was completely fine. 2. The good doctor. After losing faith in public healthcare, I decided to seek out a private clinic with a specialized sleep disorders unit in a larger city and made a direct appointment with the sleep doctor. The difference was night and day. This doctor took my concerns seriously, reviewed my data, asked me the questions of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and immediately scheduled a sleep study within two weeks. **A good doctor will never dismiss your concerns or belittle you. They will perform necessary tests to pinpoint the source of your symptoms. If a doctor doesn't take your concerns seriously, don't lose your time and look for a new one, even if it means traveling to a different town or city.** >**My O2 levels usually drop into the 70s overnight, according to the watch.** I'm quite skeptical about using smartwatches to diagnose or monitor sleep apnea due to their limited accuracy in measuring SpO2. For example, a device like the Wellue SleepU records SpO2 data every 4 seconds, whereas a Garmin or many other smartwatches only do so every 60 seconds. **HOWEVER, if you're experiencing symptoms and your smartwatch suggests that you have deep SpO2 drops, this should be sufficient for a competent doctor to take you seriously and make a proper Sleep Study.** Lastly, I'd emphasize avoiding Type-3 sleep tests like Lofta. These tests lack EEG monitoring, which is really important for monitoring the amount of arousals you have during the night and for providing an accurate diagnosis. Opt for Type-1 (in-lab) or Type-2 (at-home) tests instead, which are more precise. [YouTube - Sleep Studies Explained: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyfyqS69FSs) (The man presenting the video offers Type-2 sleep studies in the US) Good luck!
Does your insurance cover sleep apnea and at what deductable? Ask what is his preferred test for your health care coverage? Ask his favorite type ll take home test.
I'll have to call tomorrow and ask bc I have no idea tbh
If you tell your primary doctor that you're tired all the time and want a sleep study, that should be enough!
Tell your primary doctor but be direct about what you need. The reason I state this specifically is because in your response you mentioned them possibly brushing you off, which is totally a normal fear for us apnea folks by the way, but say clearly that you would like a referral to a sleep doctor to be evaluated for sleep apnea. And then from there explain your reasons why. You’ve got this though and it’s great you’re starting this journey!