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1200 N. One Mile Road • Dexter, MO 63841
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Sleep Laboratory

Sleep Apnea: From A to ZZZ ...

Millions of Americans suffer from sleep disorders, and most don't even know it. They may feel tired during the day, become drowsy while driving or experience trouble while sleeping at night. If you experience any of the following or other symptoms, you might suffer from a sleep disorder:

• You feel sleepy or doze off while engaged in daily activities such as reading or watching TV.
• You have dozed off while engaged in daily activities.
• You have trouble falling asleep three nights or more a week.
• You wake too early and cannot get back to sleep.
• You wake unrefreshed.
• You feel unpleasant, tingling, creeping feelings or nervousness in your legs when you try to sleep.
• Your sleep is interrupted by heartburn, bad dreams, pain, discomfort, noise, sleep difficulties or family members, light or temperature.

Sleep Apnea is best defined as periods of time where you do not sleep, due to obstructions in the breathing passages (obstructive sleep apnea), failure of your brain to signal the diaphragm to breathe (central sleep apnea), or a combination of the two. This can cause your oxygen levels to drop dangerously low.

Did you know?
Five out of 100 people, typically overweight, middle-age men, suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.

If your doctor suspects you have Sleep Apnea, he/she will prescribe a Sleep Study. Also called a polysomnographic study, this diagnostic study measures how the activity of the body changes during sleep. You arrive at the Sleep Lab for the study and leave the next morning.

Results are used to distinguish between the two types of apnea described above. In addition, sleep studies can help identify other sleep disorders that disturb your sleep. (Example: leg movement disorder that disturbs sleep).

If you have questions regarding sleep apnea or you would like to schedule a sleep study, please contact your doctor. Additional information can be obtained by calling 573.614.1921.