When Should A Sleep Study Be Considered For Heart Failure?

— -- Question: When should a sleep study be considered for heart failure?

Answer: Obstructive sleep apnea or central sleep apnea -- two forms of sleep disturbances that may accompany people that have heart failure. And the best way to identify whether or not a sleep study might be considered would be if a person who has known heart failure has relatively new symptoms -- some symptoms might include feeling sluggish, somnial instances -- that is, overly fatigued, for example sleeping during the day despite adequate medical therapy. And if that is the case, a sleep study may be useful because if we do identify an abnormal finding then we may be able to institute therapy such as oxygen or continuous positive airway pressure known as CPAP, which may resolve some of the symptoms and make those individuals feel more energetic.