Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing is concisely and recurrently disturbed while an individual is sleeping. The word "apnea" refers to a breathing gap that lasts at least for ten seconds. 

To detect sleep apnea an assessment is carried out which often involves an overnight monitoring at a sleep center that observes the patient’s breathing and other body functions during their sleep. Certain tests to detect sleep apnea include:

Nocturnal Polysomnography: During this test, the patient is connected to equipment that monitors their breathing patterns; heart, lung and brain activity; arm and leg movements; and blood oxygen levels while the patient is sleeping.

Home sleep tests: The patient can also use a home sleep test to detect sleep apnea. The doctor may provide you a simpler test that will be able measure the patient’s heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and breathing patterns.

If the result of the test is not normal, the doctor will prescribe a therapy to treat the sleeping