Sleep Apnea Treatments
Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that can disrupt your life all together. Sleep deprivation can ruin your entire day and thus have an impact on both your professional as well as personal life. Sleep apnea is caused by breathing disruptions that can last for as long as 10 seconds or more and can occur around 50 times every hour. Sleep apnea may be one of three types:
Ø OSA or Obstructive Sleep Apnea: This is the most common type and involves blockage of the air passages due to the soft tissues surrounding the nasal passages and the throat. As the throat muscles relax, these tissues also relax and obstruct the airways.
Ø CSA or Central Sleep Apnea: This is caused when the control center for respiration in the brain is imbalanced and thus, proper signals are not sent in order to control breathing whilst sleeping.
Ø Comp SA or Complex Sleep Apnea or Mixed Apnea: In this disorder, the symptoms are similar to that of OSA as well as CSA.
Symptoms:
There are various symptoms of sleep apnea and they include choking, very loud snoring, headaches, insomnia, shallow sleep, drowsiness, breathing problems, and depression and concentration problems.
Treatment: There are many sleep apnea treatments and the right one will depend on the severity of the situation.
Ø CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure: The patient is made to wear a mask which allows constant airflow as the patient sleeps. This is the most commonly prescribed and once it has been advised by the doctor at the sleep disorder center, the patient needs to buy durable equipment and related gear. Make sure the mask is comfortable because you will be wearing it through the night. While the thought of wearing a mast while you sleep is very discomforting, you will get used to it in due time. There are other less popular options for those who don’t prefer CPAP.
Ø Changing lifestyle: If you are overweight or obese, losing weight could help your sleep apnea problems significantly. Exercising and dieting are two things you must include in your lifestyle. Drinking and smoking are also contributing factors and both must be controlled or stopped completely.
Ø Using sleeping aids: Sleeping on your back is not advisable if you suffer from sleep apnea. Use as many pillows as possible to make sure you sleep only on your side. Use sleeping aids like a foam ramp or a wedge to elevate your head while you sleep. These has proven to help many patients.
Ø Oral aids: These are for those who suffer from sleep apnea due to anatomical defects. Mandibular adjustment can help to a very large extent.
Ø Surgery: This is the last resort and is carried out only in the most severe cases where nothing else works.