Practical approach to sleep disordered breathing

Abstract

It is not uncommon to have occasional difficulty in falling asleep or have fatigue and day time sleepiness. However, when sleep disturbances persist for over a month and are associated with significant daytime dysfunction for at least two weeks, it may be a warning of an underlying sleep disorder requiring further evaluation and treatment. The combination of snoring, nonrefreshing sleep and daytime sleepiness is usually a hallmark of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) which is the most common sleep related breathing disorder. This review article aims to provide a practical and comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and management of sleep related breathing disorders with a focus on OSA.