SLEEP APNEA EXAMINATION

HERO KANSI

Sleep apnea examination

Sleep apnea is diagnosed with sleep apnea examination or night polygraphy. The examination is also available without a doctor’s referral. The price of the examination is € 239.

Book an appointment by calling +358 10 326 3260.

Sleep apnea examination is performed at home during the normal night’s sleep. The examination equipment, which is easy to use at home, is attached to the patient until the end of the examination.

SYNLAB offers sleep apnea examinations in four cities – Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere and Turku. SYNLAB’s sleep apnea examination is also available without a referral, so it’s not necessary to see a doctor before the examination. An understandable and easy to read analysis of a respiratory disease specialist is always included in the price of the examination. The analysis comes in Finnish, please ask if you want it in English.

The price of the examination is € 239. Current service fees are added to the price.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea refers to breathing disturbances during the sleep. The symptoms are caused by partial or complete obstruction of the airways. Breathing disturbances cause the sleep to be less recovering and refreshing, as they break the integrity of the sleep. Sleep apnea also disturbs the body’s physiological functions, which is why sleep apnea contributes to the emergence or worsening of other illnesses. These illnesses include arterial hypertension, tachycardia, depression and diabetes.

How is sleep apnea examined?

The examination measures airflow during breathing, breathing movements, possible snoring, blood oxygen saturation, sleeping position and activity during the sleep.
The examination equipment includes a measuring device installed on you chest, a finger sensor and nasal cannula. You can fetch the examination equipment from SYNLAB’s location, where you are instructed on how to fill in the medical history form and how to attach the equipment. The equipment is easy to attach and you can also watch the instructional video afterwards. The equipment is returned to the SYNLAB’s location after the night’s sleep at home.

Lease contract of the sleep apnea examination device

What should I do?

Make sure you can take a moment to calm down before going to sleep when choosing the date for the examination.
Book an appointment at SYNLAB’s location by calling our customer service +358 10 326 3260. At SYNLAB, a doctor’s referral is not required for the examination. If you have the referral, the price of the examination is lower.
A 20 minute appointment at the location. At the appointment, you are instructed on how to attach the equipment and start measuring and how to fill in the medical history form.
Attach the equipment before going to sleep and go to sleep as you normally would.
In the morning, take off the equipment, fill in the rest of the medical history form and return them to the SYNLAB’s location by the time agreed, usually by 10 am.
A respiratory disease specialist specialised in sleep examinations will analyse the examination data. You get the results in SYNLAB’s Health Folder within 7 working days.

Video: How to attach a sleep apnea examination device?

Interpretation of the results and treatment of sleep apnea

The purpose of the examination is to find out whether you have breathing disturbances which indicate that you have sleep apnea of some degree. The number and quality of the irregularities during the sleep and their epiphenomena are used to assess sleep apnea. So called AHI index is used to measure the severity of sleep apnea. AHI rating indicates, how many apneas or hypopneas you had in an hour during the measuring. You’ll find the results in the easy to understand analysis, made by respiratory disease specialist specialised in sleep apnea examinations. The analysis tells you whether you have sleep apnea and, if so, how severe. In addition, the analysis may include a recommendation to contact a doctor and treatment recommendations. The treatment vary according to the severity of sleep apnea and its symptoms and its underlying reasons, such as structural factors.

Severity of sleep apnea AHI (in an hour)

Normal: 0-5

Mild: 5-15

Moderate: 15-30

Difficult: Yli 30

Do I have sleep apnea?

The main factor behind sleep apnea is overweight, but many kinds of patients have it. Other factors causing sleep apnea include structural factors, such as narrow nose or pharynx and large palatine tonsils. You can have sleep apnea regardless of your age, gender or body build. You can detect some sleep apnea symptoms yourself, but some are difficult or impossible to notice without measuring.

The symptoms of sleep apnea may include:

Snoring
Breathing disturbances during the sleep
Headache in the morning
Irritability and mental disorder
Memory disorders and impaired concentration
Frequent visits to toilet at night
Dryness of the mouth and drooling at nigth
Night sweats
Restless sleep
Restless legs
Fatigue
Heartburn
Insomnia

If you want, you can assess your likelihood of having sleep apnea using STOP-bang questionnaire. STOP-bang is abbreviation of words: Snoring – Tired – Observed – Pressure – Body Mass Index – Age – Neck Size – Gender.

FAQ

Is there any obstacles to the examination?

We don’t perform sleep apnea examinations to people under 18 years of age. Contact specialised healthcare for the examinations of minors.

The customer shouldn’t have nail polish or artificial nail in the finger in which the finger sensor is attached.

How well can I sleep with the equipment?

Almost every time, the examination is successful and sleeping with the equipment is easy. Usually, the measurement can be performed long enough at night to detect the sleep apnea or to exclude it, even if the sleep would be shorter or more restless than normally. The equipment is designed to disturb your sleep as little as possible.

Will I be able to attach the measurement equipment properly?

A nurse will explain the correct attachment of the equipment on your appointment. In addition, you’ll receive pictorial instructions and a link to the instructional video.

What if I wake up at night and notice that the device is partially detached?

Sleep apnea examination lasts one normal night or sleep cycle. Usually, about 6 hours of recorded sleep is enough for analysis but it is recommended to have the equipment attached during the whole time in the bed. If you notice at night that some part of the device is detached, reattach it and continue sleeping. The amount of measured sleep can be seen only in unpacked data.

What if I wake up in the morning and notice that the device is partially detached?

If you notice in the morning, that some part of the equipment is detached, and are unsure, how long it was attached, return the device normally to SYNLAB’s location. You can have a new appointment, if the measurement was unsuccessful. Only a successful measurement is invoiced.