Treatment Options for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
by Sleep apnea
Posted on 09-02-2021 02:50 AM
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that occurs during sleep when the muscles of the airway by natural physiology asleep tends to collapse and obstruct the breathing pattern and lead to periods of apnea or cessation and breathing which causes a disruption in their state quality obstructive sleep apnea is caused by unfavorable anatomy and what I mean by that is anything that helps to narrow the upper part of the throat including unfavorable position of the upper and lower jaw presence of any excess soft tissue including enlarged tonsils or bulkiness or unfavorable position of the tongue or musculature in the throat one of the biggest misconceptions about obstructive sleep apnea is that just because you don't have daytime symptoms of fatigue or excess sleepiness retired nurse that you don't have sleep apnea but that is incorrect even people with severe sleep apnea may not recognize any of the daytime symptoms and may in fact may not have them at all .
However with those with significant sleep apnea are at significant risk of cardiovascular complications to diagnose the cause of sleep apnea the first step is to do a sleep study which helps to determine if sleep apnea is present and if so how severe it is then by doing a comprehensive upper airway examination we can help identify potential sites where the narrowing is occurring to help develop a treatment plan for most adults with sleep apnea sleep apnea is typically treated first with CPAP which stands for continuous positive airway pressure it's a mask you wear at nighttime but there are challenges to use of the device as only about fifty to sixty percent of the patient to try it can tolerate it some of the reasons why a person may not want to use CPAP include discomfort claustrophobia they may have difficulty falling asleep with the device or have side effects from CPAP usage including nasal congestion sinus infections or skin irritation for others they find that CPAP is a significant barrier to lifestyle goals and wishes and for some of my single patients who are seeking or are involved in romantic relationships defined that CPAP is a is a barrier to their goals some of the options available to patients who are having difficulty with CPAP may include addressing any nasal congestion they may have so that nasal congestion is not a barrier for some patients they may benefit from use of an oral appliance for others they may require surgery .
One of the most important things that I'd like to mention is if you're struggling with CPAP or if you have not used it . In many years it's important that you seek an evaluation that may include an ear nose and throat evaluation and it's important to figure out if there are other options there may or may not be role for surgery and surgery is not the right option for everybody . When a person has difficulty with sleep apnea it really requires a multidisciplinary approach it involves input from ear nose and throat physicians sleep medicine specialists oral surgeons and dentists .