Sleep Apnea Screening Tool for African American Men and Women
Sleep apnea is very common in the United States. More than one in three African American adults are estimated to have sleep apnea. However, sleep apnea is often undiagnosed and therefore untreated. Sleep apnea can affect daytime functioning and can lead to poor health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Based on research among African Americans in Jackson, MS, investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Emory University developed a sleep apnea prediction model and on-line calculator to increase awareness of sleep apnea. The calculator can help estimate the likelihood that you have sleep apnea. Two calculators are provided. The first one is simpler, while the second one is slightly more accurate. The following information is needed for each calculator:
- Age, height, weight, sex, and snoring frequency
- Age, height, weight, neck size, sex, snoring frequency, and restless sleep
For the second calculator, you will record how often you experience restless sleep: Overall, was your typical night’s sleep during the past 4 weeks: very sound or restful, sound to restful, average quality, restless, or very restless.
After entering the information, you will be presented with the “likelihood” of testing positive on a sleep study for sleep apnea. The results will show either a high or low risk of having sleep apnea. The results of this screening test should be discussed with your health care provider—in other words, the results can be used to start a conversation with your health care provider to discuss whether you are at risk for sleep apnea or another sleep or health disease and to plan the best diagnosis and treatment plan for you.
Please note that symptoms of sleep apnea can vary from person to person and some people who score “low” may still have sleep apnea and others who score “high” may not have sleep apnea. It is important that if you are concerned about the quality of your sleep, daytime sleepiness, snoring, or other health issues, that you discuss these problems with your health care provider regardless of the score from the calculator.
To learn more about sleep apnea including available resources, you may find these sites helpful:
