Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleeping disorder caused by inadequate airflow during sleep, resulting in frequent pauses in breathing throughout the night, lasting from 10 seconds up to 120 seconds at a time.  The breaks in breathing are caused by the airway being partially or fully blocked by fatty tissue in the neck or throat or by the uvula (the small tissue hanging at the back of the throat). These pauses cause oxygen levels to drop and the disorder has been linked to heart diseases; stroke; high blood pressure and obesity leading to Type 2 Diabetes.

OSA can be the underlying cause behind traffic accidents as those who are suffering with the disorder become over tired through lack of restful night time sleep and susceptible to memory lapses, lack in concentration and general exhaustion over time.  Even more worrying, most sufferers of sleep apnea are not diagnosed as they have no idea they are affected by it.

Sleep apnea is not a subject many doctors are expert in and a test for sleep apnea in laboratories has traditionally been costly. As a result, the condition has managed to slip the net and up to 95% of sufferers remain unaware they have a problem, although recently there has been a sharper community awareness of the importance of sleep health.

The problem of sleep apnea is now being addressed by the availability of a home sleeping test, eliminating the costly inconvenience of attending a test in a sleep laboratory; a home sleep test costs a minimal amount compared with the expense of a laboratory test.

The home sleep test may be order directly via the aviisha.com website.  It is simple to use and information on sleep patterns are collated overnight before Aviisha staff assess the information to ascertain whether a diagnosis of sleep apnea is appropriate.  Aviisha is the only company to offer a patient consultation with a sleep physician as part of the assessment process at no extra charge.

For those who are diagnosed with sleep apnea, the most effective remedy for OSA is available through CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy.  A CPAP mask delivers a regulated flow of air through the nasal passage, eliminating obstruction that can cause the airway to block.

CPAP therapy can improve the patient’s quality of life by promoting a healthy night time sleep and home assessment is comfortable, convenient and considerably less expensive than laboratory sleep tests.

Technorati Tags: Apnea, Apnea Sleep, Community Awareness, Fatty Tissue, Heart Diseases, High Blood Pressure, home, Importance Of Sleep, Inadequate Airflow, Laboratory Test, Memory Lapses, Oxygen Levels, Patient Consultation, Restful Night, Sleep, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Health, Sleep Patterns, Sleep Test, Sleeping Disorder, Test, Traffic Accidents, Type 2 Diabetes, Uvula

Tags: Apnea, Apnea Sleep, Community Awareness, Fatty Tissue, Heart Diseases, High Blood Pressure, home, Importance Of Sleep, Inadequate Airflow, Laboratory Test, Memory Lapses, Oxygen Levels, Patient Consultation, Restful Night, Sleep, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Health, Sleep Patterns, Sleep Test, Sleeping Disorder, Test, Traffic Accidents, Type 2 Diabetes, Uvula