All surgery involves risk. However, if you are overweight and have symptoms of sleep apnea, anesthesia may place you at even greater risk, particularly during recovery following surgery, when the residual effects of anesthesia may worsen any tendency to stop breathing. Therefore, it is important to know if you have sleep apnea prior to major surgery and to treat this problem with CPAP before your surgery.
General Question
Here are the most frequently asked questions patients have
Sleep is an important part of our ability to function well during the day. Without adequate sleep at night, we feel sleepy and lethargic during the day, and as a result performing everyday tasks at home and at work may become difficulty. There is also now evidence that lack of quality sleep can affect our mental and physical health in a negative manner. Your doctor has determined that you have symptoms which may suggest a sleep disorder, and in order to evaluate these symptoms, a sleep study has been ordered to evaluate these symptoms during the time you are asleep. The goal is to determine the causes of your symptoms, improve your sleep quality, and improve your quality of life.
Your first visit is an office visit. During this one hour appointment, the sleep specialist will review the history of your sleep problem with you and your spouse/significant other. If a nighttime sleep study is determined to be of potential help in determining the cause of your sleep problem, your sleep physician will explain the procedures and what you can expect. Before you leave, we can schedule this nighttime appointment as well as follow-up appointments to discuss the results.
If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (stopping breathing during sleep), it is likely that your doctor has ordered continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as a treatment for this problem. During CPAP treatment, a comfortable, flexible mask is worn over the nose and pressurized air is delivered from a bedside machine through a hose and into the mask. This pressurized air stimulates the throat to stay open so that you can breathe. A second study is ordered so that the pressure of air necessary to eliminate your episodes of stopping breathing can be adjusted to eliminate these events. In some cases, these two studies can be combined into one night called a “split night” study.
We can evaluate patients as young as five years of age. There is no upper limit in age as long as the patient is ambulatory or has a caregiver stay to assist during the night.
Since each patient has an individual bedroom assigned for an evaluation, it is important that we know who is coming in at night for their evaluation. We request that you confirm for us no later than 12 noon on the day of your study that you will be reporting for your study that night. If we do not hear from you or if we are unable to contact you, your room will be assigned to another patient.
• Two piece pajamas/sleepwear and a robe
• Personal hygiene items
• Your own pillow (Optional)
• Prescription and over-the-counter medications
• Oxygen prescribed by your physician if required (Oxygen tanks are available for your use here)
• Noncaffeine containing snacks and drinks (Optional)
• Hand towels and washcloths
• Reading materials
• Do not eat a very heavy dinner. A light dinner at your usual time is suggested.
• Do not drink caffeine containing beverages after 4 PM.
• Do not use lotions or gels on your face or skin before coming in
• Do not use gels, hairsprays, or other products on your hair before coming in. Wash your hair prior to your study. Do not wear wigs, weaves, or braids on the night of the study
• Do not alter your medications unless you have been instructed to do so by your doctor.
• Do not use your cell phone during the night for talking or texting. Turn off your cell phone when the study begins.
There are two different types of daytime sleep studies, the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and the maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT). The MSLT consists of four or five nap opportunities, depending upon the results of the test, which occur throughout the day. The purpose of the MSLT is to determine how sleepy you are by examining your brain activity. The MWT also consists of four daytime tests, but the purpose of the MWT is to determine how well someone is able to stay awake. There is always a night of sleep testing performed prior to the daytime MSLT, but the MWT may be performed without this previous night of testing. The MSLT may be ordered when a patient is extremely sleepy during the day without any known cause or when there is a suspicion of narcolepsy, a disorder of excessive daytime sleepiness. It is well known that persons with narcolepsy have specific patterns of sleep during the MSLT. The MWT is performed to determine how well someone is able to stay awake during the day.
Coverage varies from policy to policy. Most major insurance companies pay 80% of reasonable and customary charges if Sonno Sleep Center is considered “In Network” for that company. The Center is In Network for most major insurance carriers, including Medicare and Medicaid. However, you should call the customer service number on your insurance card to check the coverage for your policy.
In most cases, patients stay alone throughout the study in their own private bedroom. The only exception to this rule are circumstances such as testing in a child, an elderly person requiring assistance, or any other patient who requires physical and/or emotional assistance. In these cases, caretakers stay in the same bedroom, but sleep next to the patient in a separate bed. There is no circumstance in which the patient sleeps in the same bed with another person. The arrangements for a caretaker to stay with the patient must be made in advance of the night of the study. We do not have sufficient space to accommodate persons who are nonessential to the evaluation.
In order to obtain a CPAP machine and mask, a prescription is required. You have your choice of several durable medical equipment providers in the El Paso area. Different insurance plans are accepted at different providers. In addition, Sonno Sleep Center is able to provide you with a machine, mask, and supplies depending upon your insurance carrier.
Once you have reported for your nighttime appointment you should remain in the Center. Our nighttime technicians need to know that you are here so that they can plan the sequence and timing of your procedures and so that they can get start the study at the scheduled time.
The primary reasons that patients require additional sleep studies are significant changes in weight, the development of a major medical condition which is associated with a worsening of nighttime sleep or daytime sleepiness, or an increase in excessive daytime sleepiness for no apparent reason. If you have been treated for sleep apnea by upper airway surgery, an oral appliance, or a significant weight loss, another sleep study will determine if these treatments have been effective in improving your sleep apnea.
If you live more than an hour or two away and do not come this way often for other reasons, we may schedule both visits in one day for your convenience. After your office visit, the building will close at 5 (five) P.M. and you need to have something planned to do until the night technician comes in at 8 (eight) P.M. There are restaurants, shopping centers, etc to visit to pass the time. Please let us know if it would be easier for you to schedule the two appointments on different days.
There are instances in which blood tests are necessary to evaluate medical conditions which may be affecting your sleep. A copy of your previous laboratory results is helpful for comparison in the event that blood work is necessary.
Daytime office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sleep studies are run at night, and the building is open all week nights from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. If you have a sleep study on Sunday night, you should make sure all information needed is in our office by noon on Friday, or earlier. If you are being dropped off at the Center, make sure your ride comes in with you to find out when they need to pick you up.
Why do I need a sleep study if I am planning on a gastric bypass surgery or any other major surgery?
Yes, in El Paso we are on the Sun Metro bus line. Call 915-533-3333 for schedules.
We accept most insurance’s, including Medicare and Medicaid. However, the Sonno Sleep Center accepts patients with and without insurance. Most plans that require you to choose a Primary Care Physician will require that physician to issue a referral number to us.