DIAGNOSIS
You have tested Positive for Sleep Apnea
What does it all mean?
The diagnosis of sleep apnea indicates you are experiencing multiple types of breathing events during sleep all of which result in an arousal from sleep. Let’s review some pictures that will help you to understand what is happening in your airway.
The image on the far right depicts what happens during an apnea episode (your airway is completely obstructed).
You may also experience hypopnea (your airway is partially obstruction) and/or Respiratory Effort Related Arousals (RERA - breathing doesn't stop, but sleep is still disturbed).
When experiencing a hypopnea event, you will likely snore, though snoring does not always indicate a hypopnea event is occurring.
In a RERA event your oxygen levels go down, sending a signal to your brain to come out of deep sleep to bring the levels back up. During these events the airway is not obstructed at all, but sleep is still disturbed.