Understanding Sleep Apnea in New Albany, IN

Understanding Sleep Apnea in New Albany, IN:

Scott Yates, Respiratory Service Line Director
Heather Gregory, Sleep Center Clinical Coordinator
Baptist Health Floyd

Scott Yates:
If you don't treat sleep apnea, your life span will be shortened. There's a risk of heart attack. There's a risk of dying from a stroke. There are lots of enhanced risks because of the lack of oxygenation during sleep apnea periods that you're experiencing.

Heather Gregory:
Our sleep center is comprehensive. We offer consultations with our sleep-certified providers. We offer both in-lab and in-home sleep testing.

When the patient comes in for a sleep study, we are monitoring their brain activity, their oxygen levels. We have audio and video monitoring the entire time so we can see how long they are sleeping. What sleep stage do they get to? Do they get into a deep sleep? Or do they not sleep long enough or deep enough to get there?

Scott Yates:
We have several different treatments. There are oral devices for very mild sleep apnea. There are CPAPs and BiPAPs for a little bit more moderate to more severe sleep apnea. There are also some nerve stimulators that stimulate the nerves in the neck to keep the airway open.

Heather Gregory:
We hear many times that they didn't realize how tired they were until they got their CPAP or their BiPAP machine, and now, with therapy, it's made a world of difference. They can't sleep without it. It makes a huge, positive impact on how they're sleeping and how they feel.