Treating Sleep Problems; What all the Alphabet Soup Means

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Added: Sun. Oct 11, 2009 10:58pm
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You go to the doctor to discuss your insomnia or snoring and the next thing you know the doctor is using a bunch of letter to describe the problem.  You want to know what it means but your doctor is either short on time or you are too embarrassed to ask.  Either way you need answers to what the tests are looking at.

 

Starting with the test itself there are several tests they can do for you

• Pulse Ox is a test that measures the oxygen in your blood.  This test involves a probe you wear overnight that uses a red light to determine how much oxygen is attached to your red blood cells.
• HST is a home sleep test.  This test can vary depending on the equipment used. It is done by using a small machine at home that gives the doctor a limited amount of information.  It is used specifically to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in a patient who meets ate least two criteria for sleep apnea.
• PSG is a polysomnogram.  This is a full sleep study.  This is done overnight at a lab.  The technician will monitor your sleep, breathing, oxygen level, heart rate, leg movements and jaw movements.  All this is to monitor for many types of sleep disorders.

Conditions that the doctor may be trying to diagnose

• OSA is obstructive sleep apnea.  This is a partial or complete closure of the airway when you are asleep.  This is associated with drops in the oxygen level in your blood. 
• RLS or PLMs are leg movement disorders.  Restless leg syndrome is a leg movement disorder where a person will have a need to move their legs due to different sensations that they experience.  This usually occurs in the evening and will continue into the beginning of the night.  Periodic limb movements are leg movements that happen during sleep.  These movements are usually rhythmic and can keep a person from going into all stages of sleep
• RBD is an unusual condition called REM behavior disorder.  During REM sleep, also known as the time of sleep where a person dreams, a person with this condition acts out their dreams.  Since sleep studies have video recordings the patient’s behavior is recorded for the doctor to see.

Abbreviations associated with the results of the study

• AHI and RDI are short for apnea/hypopnea index and respiratory disturbance index.  Both of these are very similar in that they are the number of respiratory events that occur during the night and then averaged to an hourly rate. 
• O2 Sat is the level of oxygen in the blood during the night.  The results will usually give an average and the lowest level.
• N1, N2, N3 and REM are the stages of sleep we experience.  Each patient may go into one or all these stages of sleep.
• CPAP, BIPAP, AutoPAP are all forms of treatment  for apnea these are not the only treatments but they are forms of therapy that are the most successful at treating sleep apnea.

Whenever a person goes for testing or to visit their physician it is always important that we ask the questions needed to clarify what the doctor says.  Most people who work in healthcare appreciate when people want to know about the test they are having or just had.  It also allows the patient to make a more informed decision about their care. 

 

If you have any questions about test results and abbreviations ask it will help you to get the best care.

Amy Korn-Reavis, BA, RRT, RPSGT manages  an accredited sleep lab in Apopka, Florida.  She also runs A.W.A.K.E. Orlando a support group for people with sleep disorders, their family members and people who want to learn more about how to get a good night sleep.  Her goal is to help everyone get a good night sleep.  If you have any questions you would like answered you can write her at amy8028472@yahoo.com