Sleep Disorders and Overnight Oximetry
Many Americans struggle with sleep disorders like sleep apnea, which disrupts an individual’s normal breathing patterns as they sleep. However, before being granted any sort of medical treatment, most medical professionals require a patient to get tested via overnight oximetry testing first.
Oximetry Testing Basics
Overnight pulse oximetry is a test that can be done at home and provides simple information that the doctor can then use to evaluate your sleep health. The user wears a plastic clip on the end of his/her finger, which is painless. The clip is connected to a small box called a CPAP, which monitored and records oxygen levels in the bloodstream during sleep.
Oximetry Results
The graph produced by the overnight oximetry tests will paint a picture of the patient’s blood oxygen content overnight—and anything below 88-90% is considered unusual. This is important because as oxygen saturation decreases, the heart rate often decreases. A person with sleep apnea would have periodic pauses in normal breathing and corresponding drops in blood oxygen content.
Ask Your Doctor
If you’re worried that you may have sleep apnea (or you generally have trouble staying asleep at night), ask your doctor about overnight oximetry and whether this is a test you may need to undergo. It’s an easy, fast text that can be done right from your home—and it doesn’t cost much to complete. Your results can be shared with your doctor in minutes.
Bonus: Here at Breathe, we even make it possible to securely transmit overnight oximetry test results right on your smartphone (iOS and Android.) This tool helps make these tests simpler and faster than ever before—so what are you waiting for? Find out if an overnight oximetry test is right for you today.
Oximetry Testing Basics
Overnight pulse oximetry is a test that can be done at home and provides simple information that the doctor can then use to evaluate your sleep health. The user wears a plastic clip on the end of his/her finger, which is painless. The clip is connected to a small box called a CPAP, which monitored and records oxygen levels in the bloodstream during sleep.
Oximetry Results
The graph produced by the overnight oximetry tests will paint a picture of the patient’s blood oxygen content overnight—and anything below 88-90% is considered unusual. This is important because as oxygen saturation decreases, the heart rate often decreases. A person with sleep apnea would have periodic pauses in normal breathing and corresponding drops in blood oxygen content.
Ask Your Doctor
If you’re worried that you may have sleep apnea (or you generally have trouble staying asleep at night), ask your doctor about overnight oximetry and whether this is a test you may need to undergo. It’s an easy, fast text that can be done right from your home—and it doesn’t cost much to complete. Your results can be shared with your doctor in minutes.
Bonus: Here at Breathe, we even make it possible to securely transmit overnight oximetry test results right on your smartphone (iOS and Android.) This tool helps make these tests simpler and faster than ever before—so what are you waiting for? Find out if an overnight oximetry test is right for you today.
