Are sleep clinics legit/helpful, or a scam?

audiophile
Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:25:59 +0000

I’d recommend a sleep center accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine: [Sleepcenters.org[/url]

These are the questions I use in my dental practice to screen for sleep disorders:

- Do you snore?

Do you have high blood pressure?

Has anyone reported that you choke or gasp for air while sleeping?

What is your neck size? (>17" for men or >15" for women is a concern)

Do you wake refreshed?

Are you excessively tired during the day?


Another useful screening is the Epworth sleepiness scale: [url=http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/epworth.html]The Epworth Sleepiness Scale](http://www.sleepcenters.org/)

As you can imagine, there are many different sleep disorders. If the sleep study shows obstructive sleep apnea, the options are:


Lifestyle changes
CPAP
Dental appliance if mild to moderate OSA, or if patient is CPAP non compliant
surgery


or a combination of the above

An overnight study in a sleep center is the gold standard, there are also take home monitors which are becoming more and more sophisticated. I own one that I use to evaluate the results of oral appliance therapy.