The Difference between Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Determining the difference between snoring and sleep apnea
Proper Diagnosis
The best way to differentiate snoring from sleep apnea, or to diagnose the severity of sleep apnea is with an overnight sleep study that evaluates what your body is doing at night. A typical study includes the following:
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Electroencephalogram
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Electrooculogram
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Electromyogram
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Electrocardiogram
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Right and left leg EMG
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Nasal/oral airflow
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Thoracic respiratory effort
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Abdominal respiratory effort
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Snoring
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SaO2
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Heart rate
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Video monitoring
The term RDI stands for Respiratory Disturbance Index and is one very important measure of the severity of the sleep disorder. The RDI is a number that represents how many times per hour breathing stops or becomes very shallow. This index is important because it is often associated with disruption of sleep and dangerous drops in blood oxygen levels. Most physicians agree that an RDI of 5 or below is normal while an RDI over 40 may indicate severe disease.