Transcript
Page 1: You have sleep apnea- better opt for sleep apnea treatment

You have sleep apnea- better opt for sleep apnea treatment

Sleep apnea in simple terms is a sleeping disorder that occurs in the form of one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breath while the concerned person is asleep. This condition is a chronic one that interrupts or disturbs the sleeping pattern of that person in about five to thirty times or more in an hour. Each pause in breathing is called apnea that can last from a few seconds to a minute. In majority of cases, sleep apnea can be diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram or sleep study. Sleep Apnea consists of three different forms and these are Central Sleep Apnea (CAN), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and complex or mixed sleep apnea – which is a combination of CNA and OSA.

The following symptoms can be observed in case of a person who is suffering from sleep apnea and these are:

Excessive day time sleeping or hypersomnia, Dry mouth or sore throat upon awakening from sleep, Severe headache in the morning, Difficulty in staying asleep or insomnia especially during night time, Loud snoring that is more prominent in case of obstructive sleep apnea or OSA, Episodes of breathing cessation during sleep are one of the symptoms of sleep

apnea.

Treatment of sleep apnea:

The sleep apnea treatment in case of mild cases on the recommendation of the physician may involve lifestyle changes such as losing weight by changing food habits. In case where the sleep apnea is moderate or severe then sleep apnea treatment involves some major treatments that may also involve surgery. However, the physicians usually recommend the following treatments and these are:

Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP – This treatment is for those persons who are suffering from moderate to severe sleep apnea. In this treatment, a machine known asCPAP or Automatic Positive Airway Pressure (APAP) device is used that delivers the air pressure through a mask placed over the nose, while the person is asleep. The air pressure in the CPAP is greater than that of the surrounding air and this air is just enough to keep the upper airway passages open that prevents apnea or snoring.

Oral Appliances-Another method used for sleep apnea treatment is wearing an oral appliance that is designed to keep the throat of the patient open. These oral appliances are designed to open the throat by bringing the jaw forward that can sometimes relive snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea.

Surgery -Surgery is done only when above methods do not prove effective and surgery usually involves removing of excess tissue from the nose or throat of the concerned person/patient that may be vibrating and causing snore or are responsible for blocking the upper airway passage thereby causing sleep apnea. The various surgical options available are – Tracheostomy, Maxillomandibular advancement procedure, Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) or UP3 are available to address pharyngeal obstruction. Thus, these are some of the available treatments for sleep apnea.


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