Dad survived the night! He felt a bit groggy this morning but refreshed. Pretty early in the test the technician put on a mask for Dad to breathe through. After he placed the mask on Dad, his sleep was much much better! He noted that Dad had 24 occurrences of changes in his breathing per hour!
Here is a definition of sleep apnea: Sleep apnea (or sleep apnoea in British English;/æpˈniːə/) is a type of sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or instances of shallow or infrequent breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from at least ten seconds to several minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour.[1] Similarly, each abnormally shallow breathing event is called a hypopnea. Sleep apnea is classified as a dyssomnia, meaning abnormal behavior or psychological events occur during sleep.[2] When breathing is paused, carbon dioxide is building up the bloodstream. Chemoreceptors in the blood stream note the high carbon dioxide levels. The brain is signaled to wake the person sleeping and breathe in air. Breathing normally will restore oxygen levels and the person will fall asleep again.[3] Sleep apnea is often diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called apolysomnogram, or "sleep study".
We will schedule an appointment with the Dr after his tests are reviewed. I will keep you informed about new developments! Thanks for praying!
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