Ep203: The Painful Diagnostic Journey of Sleep Apnea And a New Way Through It with Douglas Krohn, MD

"I slept enough to get the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, which I already knew I had, but not enough for them to see if my machine was working properly at the right pressures. So they told me that I had to come back for another study to have what's called the titration study, which I refused because there are automated positive airway pressure machines.”

A topic that affects many but is often misunderstood: sleep apnea. Join us with Dr. Douglas Krohn to uncover the intricacies of obstructive sleep apnea, highlighting symptoms, risks, and the impact it has on both mental and physical health.

Dr. Krohn, a seasoned primary care physician and sleep medicine expert, introduces an innovative telehealth platform, konk.com, designed to streamline the diagnostic process. By leveraging adaptive logic questionnaires, this platform offers a faster, cheaper avenue to pinpoint sleep apnea, circumventing the traditional costly sleep studies.

Dr. Douglas Krohn is an award-winning primary care physician, a Clinical Professor at New York Medical College, and a sleep apnea patient with deep insights into the patient journey and effective care delivery. He is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Telemedicine Association, and the American Board of Pediatrics.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understanding Sleep Apnea: Discover the tell-tale signs and why it’s more than just loud snoring.

  • The Risks: Learn how untreated sleep apnea can lead to cognitive issues, heightened accident risk, and even relationship strain.

  • Innovative Solutions: Explore how Konk aims to ease the burdens of diagnosis through telehealth, revolutionizing patient care and accessibility.

“Thirty percent of patients who've been diagnosed with a sleep study never do anything about it. So that, you know, there's between one and two million Americans who it's not just that they think they have it. They know they have obstructive sleep apnea, and they never went through with getting any kind of therapy for it. - Douglas Krohn, MD

WHAT WILL WE LEARN

00:00 Recognizing Sleep Apnea Symptoms

04:20 Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Health Risks

06:35 Bedmates’ Awareness of Sleep Apnea

10:55 Sleep Apnea and Mental Health Link

14:43 Adaptive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Tool

18:28 Costly Delays in Sleep Study Process

20:13 Unassisted Medical Device Learning

24:17 Affordable Sleep Therapy Solution

28:01 Sleep Apnea Treatment Neglect

30:25 Evaluating Sleep Apnea Risks

35:10 Conch's New Sleep Medicine Strategy

38:57 APAP vs. CPAP: Key Differences

41:42 Sleep Apnea and CBTI Therapy

43:42 Incorporating Foreign Medical Data

49:08 "Common vs. Normal: Health Misconceptions"

50:06 Positive Airway Device Misconceptions

55:20 Understanding Sleep Apnea Basics

56:24 "Improving Personal Sleep"

Are you so sleepy that you cannot focus? Are you tired of getting through the day drinking coffee? Are you worried how your poor sleep may impact your health? Checkout Dr. Yishan Xu’s Insomnia Treatment Course! 

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Yishan Xu, PhD, DBSMsleep, sleep disorder, sleep better, sleep apneaComment