Physical exam for snoring and sleep apnea

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Physical exam for snoring and sleep apnea

Your health professional will ask questions about your medical history to determine whether your snoring is simply interfering with your or your bed partner's sleep or whether you have sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder.

During your physical examination, your health professional will check your:

• Breathing rate, heart rate, and blood pressure.
• Weight. People who snore or have obstructive sleep apnea often have a greater amount of fat in their upper body.
• Ears, nose, mouth, and throat, to look for conditions that might limit your airflow, such as bone deformities or enlarged tissues in your throat. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids are common causes of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea in children.
• Neck measurement. People who have obstructive sleep apnea often have a larger neck than people who do not have the condition. The risk of apnea increases for men who have a neck circumference of more than and for women whose necks are larger than .
• Thyroid gland. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the front of the neck. An enlarged thyroid gland may put pressure on the breathing tube (trachea) or be a sign of abnormal thyroid functioning. However, the thyroid gland rarely affects the trachea.
• Heart, to determine if you have heart failure.
• Lungs, to look for lung disease or signs of heart failure.
• Arms and legs, to look for swelling (especially in the hands and ankles) and bluish skin (especially in the nail beds). These may be signs of heart problems.

Credits

Last updated:	February 21, 2006
Author:	Ralph Poore
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Jan Ulfberg, MD, PhD - Sleep Disorders
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman