We've been sucked into this in a exhibition, [sales booth] ..the test is free
but they sure want to sell you something! We do need to do some research, any help here is appreciated.

You may or may not have sleep apnea, but these people are obviously only interested in taking your money. Proceed with caution!

Do you fall asleep in front of TV & then snore & suddenly get quiet & wake with a start & gasp? That is 1 sign you may be having sleep apnea. My dad would make the monitor go off at hospital when he was hooked to machine. I asked why they didn't come running & they said, oh, we were about to couple of times but he came out of it. He didn't have the testing as he wouldn't use something over his nose to sleep every night & he was in his 90's. So if your wife or you have spells where you are snoring & then stop & you wonder if the other is breathing might have a problem. If you get up exhausted every morning, might be sleep apnea or just not getting enough sleep. More likely to have sleep apnea if you have heart problem or are greatly overweight too. Sounds like some of bone density people, they won't let you see the results & every person young & old had poor bone density it the dr's office. I don't believe that for a minute. ! patient was teen & another young healthy looking woman in 20's. But they wanted to write out prescriptions to everybody there. I told the dr. I wouldn't believe it unless I got to see the results for myself. It was like the old foot fluoroscope ??at the shoe stores years ago. I saw my foot then why was I not allowed to see it when the drug people were there sponsoring the "free tests"- easier to sell drug to gullible people.

>>Do you fall asleep in front of TV & then snore & suddenly get quiet & wake with a start & gasp?<<

...not usually, perhaps I might have done it one's in a blue moon,..we've been questioned for all signs, now we'll see what the test reveals.

If the "test" is supplied by someone selling something (and they've already lied to you), be very skeptical about the validity of the test. If the saleswoman thinks that 50% of people have apnea, according to her test, then her test is terribly flawed.

Well..I've heard that they send the test report to your doctor,..they can't sell anything without heaving your Doc. look into this and sign a copy, [that's good] since my doctor past away and haven't found a new one they now will give it to me direct,..I'll have to go see them but will not buy anything before getting professional advise or second opinion.

I have sleep apnea. I have had it for some time. Usually it occurs in people who are heavier, and your Dr. or respiratory therapist can explain to you what happens, it interrupts your sleep and using the CPAP/respirator DOES help tremendously. If you have any misgivings/questions, talk to your Dr. of course the companies that sell the products want to sell their stuff, but this is not a gimmick. It's not just about snoring, snoring is a symptom. They have been doing a lot more with sleep research and sleep disturbances in recent years, and improving sleep patterns.

They found that a lot of people who were diagnosed with sleep apnea were not using their machines that insurance was paying for, so more recently, they had people prove they were using it (it has a computer card that records the number of hours, etc of use). A lot of people, I suspect, find the mask somewhat difficult to get used to at first, but there are different/smaller masks and if it makes a big difference in your sleep and how you feel overall, why not commit.

"Usually it occurs in people who are heavier"

This is not true. Many people of normal weight have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea isn't a fat person's condition. Being overweight doesn't help, but sleep apnea isn't caused by being overweight. Sleep apnea is a "structural" problem with one's airway.

Val, you should do some research before providing false information.

According to my respiratory therapist, this is true, While it is structural, it occurs most prevalently in heavier people and those with large necks, among the true statistics I was given. Dont shoot the messenger.

"According to the National Sleep Foundation:

The problem of obesity in children is a major concern for another reason: the increased incidence ofsleep apnea . A 20-year review of obesity-associated diseases among children aged 6 to 17 conducted by the CDC found a significant increase in hospital discharges for a number of obesity-related medical conditions. Discharges for sleep apnea increased 436%.

The problem is no less serious for adults. An estimated 18 million Americans have sleep apnea, which is often associated with people who are overweight. "As the person gains weight, especially in the trunk and neck"

That is not to say you can't have sleep apnea and be moderate weight or skinny! Sleep problems dont always discern who is affected!

I have sleep apnea and use a cpap machine............but before I had the sleep test, I felt horrible all the time. Sometimes I could hardly make it through the grocery store. It was awful. After being on cpap, life is much better. But........snoring doesn't mean you have sleep apnea. Like the others have said, this sounds like a scam to me. Plus, there are other things you could try just for snoring......like those nose strips, a mouthguard-type thing, etc. Also, cut back on carbs and caffeine. My machine shows that I have a lot more "events" (obstructions) if I eat a high carb dinner, or eat before going to bed. I'm wondering if you can trust their information about your sleep that night? Sometimes, you can borrow/rent a recording finger oximeter from your doctor or a Home Health-type store. You can even buy one. That way, you could see if your oxygen saturation drops with your snoring. Keep us posted on how things proceed. A great forum for sleep apnea is on cpaptalk.com. You could also ask your questions there.

Any updates Konrad?

Thank you all!
Well,..we got the report, according to the therapist, I was doing pretty good and she wasn't too concerned about me,..I don't know exactly anymore with all the numbers but it's on the sheet, .. she has more concern about my wife and we'll do some more test later somewhere else. We actually weren't pushed into buying anything.

Hi Konrad.......I'm a little late getting back to this thread. I don't know how old your wife is, but I've discovered that a fair number of women who go through perimenopause start developing sleep apnea. I think it's because of the lax muscle tone in the throat that develops. I know that's when it got bad for me. So.....if she is of perimenopausal age (anywhere from late 30's-50's) and her life gets really miserable, I would definitely consider sleep apnea treatment. I know that it helped me a lot. Good luck!

Thank you Catherine!

We're in the early 60s...as far as I know, she's been snoring before menopause but I don't think worse now. We all like to have a good night sleep and if something will help then go for it, [not necessarily heaving sleep appnea]. We don't like to get something what might not work or we quit using it down the road like allot do according to studies.

Older age brings along worse sleep also,..naturally.

Like you said, I couldn't trust their test either, if we feel something has to get done then we'll talk it over with our Doc.

Hi Konrad......like I mentioned above, you might be able to borrow/rent a recording finger oximeter from somewhere and see if your and your wife's snoring is actually dropping your oxygen saturation. That would be a simple way to find out if the snoring is causing any problems. Good luck to you both!

Good thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

Would this devise do the job?

http://www.amazon.com/CMS-Finger-Pulse-Oximeter-Sofware/dp/B00B8L8ZXE

I'm not familiar with the different brands. Make sure you do a search of reviews of that one. Plus, you have to be able to get the software to up/down load it to your computer. It will show if you/your wife's oxygen drops during the night with any apnea/obstructive breathing. I keep thinking I'll buy one, but haven't yet. I get some info on my cpap machine about how I've slept, but more info would be helpful too. let me know if you buy that oximeter and how you like it. I wish there were a less obtrusive device, since I usually sleep with my hands in strange positions.