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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. However, you may then be referred to a doctor who specializes in treating sleep disorders.
Because appointments can be brief, and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Bring results of prior sleep studies or other tests with you, or ask that they be given to your sleep specialist.
- Ask someone, such as a spouse or partner, who has seen you sleeping to come with you to your appointment. He or she will likely be able to provide your doctor with additional information.
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions ahead of time will help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For central sleep apnea, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What's the most likely cause of my symptoms?
- Are there other possible causes for my symptoms?
- What kinds of tests do I need? Do these tests require any special preparation?
- Is this condition temporary or long-lasting?
- What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?
- How will treating — or not treating — my sleep apnea affect my health now, and in the future?
- I have other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there any dietary or activity restrictions that I need to follow before bed?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
- Can you describe your typical sleep schedule?
- How long do you sleep, and do you sleep soundly?
- Does anything unusual occur while you're sleeping?
- Do you know if you snore?
- How do you feel when you wake up?
- Do you fall asleep easily during the day?
- Has anyone ever told you that you stop breathing while you're sleeping?
- How many times do you wake up at night?
- Are you short of breath when you wake up at night?
- Does anything seem to improve your symptoms?
- Is there anything that seems to worsen your symptoms?
- Do you have any other medical conditions?
- What medications, if any, are you currently taking?
- Badr MS. Central sleep apnea syndrome: Risk factors, clinical presentation, and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Douglas NJ. Sleep apnea. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2869549. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Central sleep apnea. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec05/ch061/ch061d.html. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Eckert, DJ. Central sleep apnea: Pathophysiology and treatment. Chest. 2007;131:595.
- Ropper AH, et al. Sleep and its abnormalities. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3633173. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Weil JV. Sleep at high altitude. High Altitude Medicine and Biology. 2004;5:180.
- Eckert DJ, et al. Mechanisms of apnea. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 2009;51:313.
- Leung RST. Sleep-disordered breathing: Autonomic mechanisms and arrhythmias. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 2009;51:324.
- Badr MS. Central sleep apnea syndrome: Treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Randerrath WJ. Combined adaptive servo-ventilation and automatic positive airway pressure (anticyclic modulated ventilation) in co-existing obstructive and central sleep apnea syndrome and periodic breathing. Sleep Medicine. 2009. In press. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Hastings PC. Adaptive servo-ventilation in heart failure patients with sleep apnea: A real world study. International Journal of Cardiology. 2008. In press. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Morgenthaler TI (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 22, 2009.
