The ThingsYou Want Know About Sleep Apnea
If there is reduction or stoppage of breathing of a person while asleep, the diagnosis could be sleep apnea.Ordinary examination by the doctor, however, is usually insufficient to detect this disorder and sleep apnea often goes undetected. Because the condition manifests only while sleeping, most patients would not be able to tell first-hand if they have symptoms of sleep apnea. This condition could only be noticed if a patient’s family member or bed partner calls attention to the problem.
A diagnosis of this condition would reveal either of three types of apnea. These apnea classifications are central apnea, obstructive apnea, and combined central and obstructive apnea.
Central apnea occurs when the brain of a person asleep fails to activate the muscles for breathing. Obstructive apnea, on the other hand, happens when the person’s airway collapses during sleep. This is the most common type of sleep apnea and occurs mostly in overweight patients. Obstructive sleep apnea has several possible complications. Such possibilities that could occur are high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, sleepiness during the day resulting in concentration and thinking difficulties that may lead to accidents while driving. To diagnose and evaluate obstructive sleep apnea, a patient will undergo physical examination and polysomnography. If you think you might be suffering from sleep apnea you should see a doctor for sleep apnea.
Seeking treatment is very crucial for a patient diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. The temptation is great for a person with this problem to just ignore the disorder. The treatment may involve the inconvenience of wearing dental appliances and masks nightly. Using a sleep apnea dental appliance is uncomfortable at first but you can get used to it. A chin strap for sleep apnea is slightly less uncomfortable, but is very unattractive. There’s surgery, but it’s painful and there is no guarantee for successful treatment.Due to these inconveniences, painful treatment and uncertain results, only an estimated 10% of obstructive sleep apnea patients undergo treatment.
It is therefore important to educate the rest of the 90% of those patients of the consequences of non-treatment of their disorder.r In addition to putting themselves at risk, they likewise pose risk to others particularly when driving. To the patient, the non-treatment of obstructive sleep apnea carries the increased risk of strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, poor work productivity, reduced attentiveness, and in extreme cases, untimely death.
Persons with obstructive sleep apnea should discuss treatment with their doctor right away. Aside from surgery, dental appliances and masks, there are more palatable options for treatment. An apnea patient may have the choice to undergo behavioral theraphy, or treatments involving airway pressure.
Changing a patient’s lifestyle could also help treat sleep apnea. These include refraining from taking alcoholic drinks or muscle relaxants, weight reduction and stopping smoking. Sleeping at a 30-degree elevation of the body could also help by preventing the collapse of the airway due to gravity. The reduction in the gravitational cause of sleep apnea could also be achieved by sleeping on a sideways position.
For those who want surgery, several procedures may be undertaken. Procedures that may be suggested include, nasal surgery, tongue reduction surgery, palate implants, bariatric surgery, maxi-mandibular advancement and uvulopapatopahryngoplasty.
June 21, 2009
Sleep Apnea and Excess Weight
Sleep apnea is a serious condition where there are pauses in breathing during sleep. These are defined medically when an individual literally stops breathing. Sleep apnea treatments are important as this disorder is a serious one, especially for patients with a weight issue.
Obstructive sleep apnea is one type of apnea that is a common problem among the morbidly obese and often in the elderly. An oxygen mask may be required so they can breathe. In the people who are excessively overweight, this is often due to their weight bearing down on their chest and crushing their rib cage and lungs.
According to medical reports the population at risk are obese middle-aged males since physiology doesn’t make women potential sufferers of sleep apnea. People who fall asleep with sleep apnea go through brief periods where others think they’re not going to wake up. This is very serious because if it’s not properly diagnosed it can be life threatening. People suffering with obesity constantly have to deal with frequent episodes of paused breathing. Snoring is a common problem with people who are overweight and constant gasping for air while sleeping is another problem. Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be dangerous to the heart because of the deprivation of oxygen that keeps the circulation flowing efficiently.
Other symptoms may include:
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Moodiness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Noctoria (getting up in the middle of the night to urinate)
- Increased urination
- Decreased sexual drive
- Increased heart rate
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Esophageal reflux (acid reflux disease)
- Profuse heavy sweating at night.
Individuals born with Down’s Syndrome are likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea since 50% of the population that have this genetic condition have an enlarged head, adenoids, tonsils, tongue, and narrowing of the nasopharnyx.
Pharyngeal flap surgery has also been noted to cause sleep apnea in patients because of the obstruction in the breathing pattern after surgery which if not monitored can be life threatening. There are different treatments for people with sleep apnea and doctors and ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) specialists take the following into consideration for designing a treatment plan for those who are diagnosed with this condition.
The factors that are considered are an individual’s medical history, severity of the disorder, and the specific cause for the obstruction. Some treatments also incorporate a lifestyle change, such as avoiding alcohol and medications that can relax the nervous system.
Other lifestyle changes can be made, such as losing weight and quitting smoking. Other considerations to incorporate are suggestions like elevating oneself while sleeping so that breathing is easier.
If someone is overweight and suffering from sleep apnea then a weight reduction plan should be implemented along with suitable sleep programs. Usually they will find within a short time frame of weight loss their condition will improve. Monitoring the food consumption and the exercise program will help maintain the weight loss which will improve sleep and breathing patterns.
June 20, 2009
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Your snoring can be more than an annoyance to your partner. It can also be a sign of a serious sleep disorder that can have long terms effects on your health. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that occurs when the upper airway becomes obstructed by a narrowing of the respiratory passages. It can disrupt your breathing and unknowingly wake you up countless times during the night. Consequently, you won’t get the deep sleep that you need to function well when awake. In this article, we’ll detail the symptoms of this disorder and your apnea treatment options.
Patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea repeatedly go through cycles of sleep, snoring, obstruction, waking up and then falling back to sleep again throughout the night. Some patients with severe apnea may have episodes of upper airway obstruction a hundred or more times in one hour. Some patients have airway obstruction because of a small or receding jaw that results in insufficient room for the tongue. The size of the individual’s neck can also be a contributing factor, as it can affect air flow.
Sleep apnea can come with other health conditions. Cardiovascular disease is common in patients. Hypertension and obesity increase the risk of cardiac disease and are frequent findings in patients with this sleep disorder. Patients with apnea who are smokers may also have coronary artery disease and obstructive airway disease. Psychosocial problems are common in patients who have sleep apnea. These patients often have depression, mood changes, poor memory, irritability and impaired concentration. Nocturnal panic attacks have also been associated with this sleep disorder.
Sleep medicine isn’t enough to treat apnea. Specialists usually recommend weight loss, and dental devices that modify the position of the tongue or jaw. Some doctors may prescribe the use of a CPAP mask. With this method, straps hold the mask firmly over the nose and the CPAP machine that generates the positive airway pressure sits on a table next to the bed. CPAP treatment is used in most patients who have sleep apnea. Jaw surgery is the most invasive surgical procedure used to treat this malady. The surgical procedure may be limited to pulling the tongue forward. An extensive procedure may entail moving both the mandible and maxilla. Extensive jaw surgery has a higher complication rate and a longer recovery time.
The severity of the symptoms will vary by patient, but it’s important to seek help as soon as possible because the condition can severely affect your overall health. In addition, obstructive sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness which can result in accidents, lost productivity and interpersonal relationship problems. The sooner you get help, the sooner you can improve your quality of life.
Use a Sleep Apnea Mask & Sleep Like a Baby
Snoring is a common problem, but in some cases can be always linked to a condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when air stops moving into the lungs while asleep, and can be a dangerous condition in severe cases. You will find that one of the most common treatments for sleep apnea is a sleep apnea mask, which will eliminate snoring, and help you sleep throughout the night so that you wake feeling more energized and rested than ever.
Diagnosis for Snoring
If your snoring wakes you up, or you have difficulty breathing while sleeping, then you should talk to your doctor about sleep apnea. This is often some difficulty in diagnosing sleep apnea, since most of the symptoms occur during sleep. There are a few things, such as excessive snoring, that point to the need to discuss your snoring with your doctor.
Your doctor can give you information on a wide variety of anti-snoring devices to help you sleep more soundly, and to reduce or eliminate your sleep apnea. Each treatment will be chosen based on the severity of your sleep apnea, and whether or not your snoring interrupts your sleep. Some common treatments include dental pieces, nasal spray and machines to keep the airway open.
Treatments
One inexpensive anti snoring device is a simple mouthpiece that is fitted by your dentist. This device reduces or eliminates snoring by slightly altering the way that your mouth is aligned during sleep, thus opening the airways to allow air to pass through normally. During sleep apnea, snoring is caused by the swelling or collapse of the airways, making this anti snoring device a good choice for mild or moderate sleep apnea.
For more severe cases of sleep apnea, snoring can be eliminated by using a sleep apnea mask. This is a device that uses a continuous flow of air to keep the airways open and functioning properly during sleep. This anti snoring device will be prescribed by your doctor for cases of severe snoring that includes periods of time when the airway is blocked or collapsed.
More information on anti snoring devices can be found at Hubzz.com
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