MEDICARE AND SLEEP APNEA HOME TEST

Experts in the field of home health care and Medicare concur that nearly 10 million Americans may have sleep apnea and not know it – that’s roughly one out of every 30 Americans. If left untreated, the disorder can lead to medical and psychological problems; in addition, the common symptom of heavy snoring can fuel marital friction.

Proponents of expanding home testing, such as UCSD physician Dr. Terence Davidson, suggest that home sleep apnea diagnosis apparatus have traditionally been both difficult and uncomfortable to use. Fortunately, manufacturers have been hard at work crafting more palatable and less expensive tests and breathing monitors. There’s a significant likelihood that big health care agencies, such as Medicare, may soon reimburse (or at least partially compensate) seniors who opt for a sleep apnea home test.

However, remember that just because your sleep apnea home test registers a negative to the diagnosis doesn’t mean that you don’t have (or are not at risk of developing) sleep apnea. Moreover, a sleep apnea home test may not pick up on signals of other severe respiratory or cardiac conditions that can contribute to sleep fitfulness. The good thing about a home test is that millions of seniors may now be able to afford to take the test and as a result could save their lives.

Not all sleep apnea is chronic. Many normal sleepers experience temporary bouts of apnea after periods of prolonged stress or respiratory infection. Even sleeping in an uncomfortable position or on an unfamiliar bed can set off symptoms. At the same time, not all sleep apnea can be classified as “obstructive apnea.” In some cases, the breathing disorder can be traced to problems in the brain – specifically, problems with how the brain regulates the body’s levels of CO2.

Before embarking on a course of home therapy, talk to your doctor about a home sleep apnea test, or make an appointment for a lab test (e.g. polysomnography) for the condition.