Scott Webb (Host): Getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health. During sleep, your body can rest and recover after each day. Not getting the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep can result in a negative impact on your health, happiness, and longevity. According to the American Sleep Association, 50 to 70 million adults in the U.S. suffer from a sleep disorder. And joining me today is Tammy Potts. She's a board registered polysomnographic technologist and the Director of Sleep Lab Services at Summa Health.

This is Healthy Vitals, a podcast from Summa Health. I'm Scott Webb. Tammy, it's so nice to have you here today. We're going to talk about sleep and how important sleep is and what happens to folks when they don't get good sleep and how you can help the folks who aren't sleeping well. But before we get to all that, let's just start here, why is sleep so important?

Tammy Potts: Sleep is essential for physical and mental well-being with various functions that contribute to overall health. Not getting enough quality sleep raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.

Sleep quality, consistency, and schedule and total sleep hours per night are also important. How much sleep your body needs changes with age. Experts recommend school-age children get at least 9 hours sleep, and teens get between eight and 10 hours of sleep. Most adults need at least even hours or more sleep each night.

Host: Honestly, Tammy, I can't remember the last time I got seven hours of sleep between my 16-year-old staying up late and the cats wanting to be fed early in the morning, but that's a separate podcast about my sleep habits, of course. And so, we've established here, of course, sleep is so important for good health. So, where do people go for answers if they're suffering or they believe they're suffering from a sleep disorder?

Tammy Potts: If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder, you'll likely first see your primary care doctor or other healthcare professional. You may also be referred, recommended to a sleep specialist.

Host: Yeah. And I'm assuming when we start talking sleep specialists, we start thinking maybe about sleep studies. So, what is a sleep study? What types of sleep conditions does it diagnose or rule out?

Tammy Potts: A sleep study is a diagnostic test used to access how your body works while you're asleep. This gives your provider a comprehensive view of your quality of sleep. Typically used to diagnose different types of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, that's where you kick all night, narcolepsy, and any sleep-related behavioral issues. A sleep study requires a referral from a provider, such as a primary care doctor or a sleep medicine specialist.

Host: All right. So, let's assume then that somebody's primed for and they're ready and approved and everything for a sleep study. And I've heard some studies are done maybe at the hospital, some are done off site, at hotels, things like that. But either way, when someone's sort of preparing for that sleep study, what do they need to know?

Tammy Potts: Exactly, Scott. So, a sleep study can be done at a sleep lab facility or at home. For studies at a clinical sleep lab facility, you can expect preparation. You'll receive instructions on things to avoid prior to arrival, including caffeine, alcohol, naps. Patients are asked to bring some essentials, such as loose-fitting pajamas, toiletries, and personal care items. When you arrive, you'll be escorted to a private bedroom, similar to a hotel setting. Sleep technicians will prepare you for the sleep study by placing sensors on your head, chest, and legs that connect to a computer that monitors brain waves, heart rate, breathing, and oxygen levels.

Host: Yeah. As I was saying there, you know, there's a variety of places where sleep studies could take place, and you mentioned at home, which seems ideal for me. If I were going to have a sleep study, I think I would want to be at home, and maybe that's the case for others, although I do enjoy staying in a hotel, so maybe there's some value in that as well, just kind of get away from, you know, the cats wanting to be fed and so forth. So, what's the criteria then for at-home sleep testing?

Tammy Potts: HST is a test for patients with high pretest probability of moderate to severe OSA. Specifically, HST can be used to diagnose OSA in uncomplicated adult patients presenting any sign and symptoms that indicate an increased risk of moderate to severe OSA. HST can be used as an alternative to full attended PST for the diagnosis of OSA in patients meeting clinical eligibility criteria.

Patients presenting to physicians with complaints of snoring with or without associated excessive daytime sleepiness and no other comorbidities are the likeliest candidates for HST. Patients should have uncomplicated medical histories. An uncomplicated patient is defined by the absence of conditions that place the patient at increased risk of non-obstructive sleep disorder breathing. Examples would be central sleep apnea, hypoventilation, and sleep-related hypoxemia; examples of these conditions include significant cardiopulmonary disease, potential respiratory muscle weakness due to the neuromuscular conditions, history of stroke, and chronic opiate medication use; concern for significant non-respiratory sleep disorders that require evaluation, such as parasomnia, sleep related movement disorders, or insomnia; environmental or personal factors that preclude the adequate acquisition and interpretation of data for HST.

Host: Yeah. It makes me wonder, is there much of a difference when we think about at-home testing versus more of a clinical sleep lab location? You know, how do the two differ, I guess?

Tammy Potts: A home sleep test is only qualified to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. While this may seem like a lot of roadblocks for those with more complicated health histories, it's great news for the vast majority of people who are seeking an easy way for uncomplicated obstructive sleep apnea. The takeaway here, Scott, is that a home sleep test has a high level of accuracy when diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea. This testing has no way to access if the patient is awake or asleep.

An in-lab sleep study is more invasive and more comprehensive. This test can diagnose a wider range of different sleep disorders, not just sleep apnea. When compared to a home sleep test, this test is still considered the gold standard. Again, if you have no underlying health conditions and are only looking to find out if you have obstructive sleep apnea, then a home sleep test may be your best bet.

Traditional polysomnography in-lab testing records brain waves, breathing effort, heart rate, oxygen levels, and muscle movements during the various stages of sleep. A sleep study can diagnose all three types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea, complex mixed sleep apnea, and central sleep apnea, which vary based on severity as well as REM sleep disorders, sleep-related seizures, and movement disorders such as restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, and insomnia.

Host: Yeah, I see what you mean. So if you're "lucky enough" to have sort of the uncomplicated sleep apnea, at home might be a good fit. Just as we wrap up here, Tammy, and this has been really good stuff, really educational. I'm sure lots of folks suffer, millions and millions probably suffer from poor sleep and maybe don't know why. How quickly do patients receive the results from a sleep study?

Tammy Potts: The data from your sleep study will be analyzed by a sleep specialist, and you'll likely have a followup appointment with your referring provider or sleep specialist to discuss the findings and your next steps, which might include treatment options or further testing. Results are typically available within a week of testing.

Host: Well, it's good to know, Tammy, that folks get those results fairly quickly and maybe get the answers they've been looking for for a long time, why they don't sleep well, why they feel tired all the time and so forth. Maybe just final thoughts, takeaways from you here as an expert. You know, how do we get them in the office? How do we get them to speak with their primaries and get those referrals? And know that better sleep is out there for them.

Tammy Potts: Yeah, Scott, if patients are snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness, they should discuss any of the sleep issues with their primary care doctor or any other provider and they can get a referral for the sleep lab testing.

Host: Yeah, that's perfect. And we hope that they do that, right? We hope that, after years of suffering, probably in many cases in the tens of millions, you know, who do suffer from a sleep disorder, we hope that they do reach out to their providers, get those referrals, do the sleep study, get the answers they need and get better sleep. So, thank you so much for your time today. You stay well.

Tammy Potts: Yeah, you as well.

Host: And to learn more about comprehensive sleep services available at Summa Health, visit summahealth.org/sleep. And if you enjoyed this episode of Healthy Vitals, we'd love it if you'd leave us a review. Your review helps others find our educational content. I'm Scott Webb. Thanks for listening, and we'll talk again next time.