Untreated sleep apnea puts your life at serious risk, causing great damage to your health over time. The diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea is considered a newer and more modern approach to improving people’s health and well-being. Even in today’s medical practice, it is often overlooked and alarmingly underdiagnosed as a serious medical problem.
Today’s Headache Institute is your premier source for the diagnosis, testing, and treatment of sleep apnea in Walled Lake, Novi, and surrounding Michigan cities. In order to determine whether you are at risk for sleep apnea, complete the following scale:
Take The Test
There are many health concerns related to sleep problems. Use the following scale to determine if you are at risk for sleep apnea:
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale
How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the following situations?
Choose the most appropriate number for each situation:
0 = would never doze
1 = slight chance of dozing
2 = moderate chance of dozing
3 = high chance of dozing
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1. Sitting and reading _____
2. Watching TV _____
3. Sitting, inactive in a public place (theater, meeting, etc.) _____
4. As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break _____
5. Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit _____
6. Sitting and talking to someone _____
7. Sitting quietly after lunch without alcohol _____
8. In a car, while stopped for a few minutes in traffic _____
Total _____
A score of 9 or above indicates you may be having a problem with daytime sleepiness, but below 9 does not necessarily mean that you don’t have a problem. However, this is an indication that you should see us for your first evaluation appointment.
Many people will deny that they have sleep problems. Some of this denial is due to the fact that it is hard to evaluate how you sleep on your own. Certainly, you can video or sound record yourself sleeping at night, but this cannot provide the data needed to determine your sleep efficiency.
What happens if you don’t sleep well?
What are the eventual health concerns?
Here are some of the consequences resulting from untreated sleep apnea.
The most common symptoms include:
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Snoring
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Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
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Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
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Strokes or Brain Damage
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Heart Attacks
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Acid Reflux (GERD- Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease)
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Morning Headaches
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Diabetes
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Sexual Dysfunction
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Social Problems
Regardless of your results, the only way to be sure if you have obstructive sleep apnea is to have a sleep test either at home or in a licensed sleep center. We can arrange for all of your testing needs. Contact us today to learn more about our sleep apnea diagnosis. Solve your pain in 6-8 months or we’ll give you your money back.