Sleep Apnea:
Sleep apnea is a disorder which is described as a pause or
reduction in airflow or breathing during sleep. It is a short
period of time where person stops breathing for 10
seconds during which a person suddenly wakes up from
sleep completely or the sleep may be disrupted if it is a
reduction in air flow. It is a common disorder in adults
and rare in children.
Types of sleep apnea:
there are three types of apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea,
central sleep apnea which is less common compared to
obstructive sleep apnea and mixed sleep apnea that is a
mix of both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep
apnea.
Central sleep apnea: occurs when the brain does not send
a signal to the muscles to breathe and the muscular effort
to breathe does not take place.
Obstructive sleep apnea: is caused when the airway
collapses and an effort to take a breath is unsuccessful.
therefore, the oxygen level in the blood is lowered which
in turn decreases the amount of oxygen in brain, the brain
signals the body to wake up and take a breath as a result
of which you suddenly wake up gasping for a breath.
Treatment: Obstructive sleep apnea can be treated by
surgical and non-surgical methods. The non-surgical
treatments include:
-dental appliances
-continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP
-behavioral changes
-medications.
Dental appliances are excellent to treat mild to moderate
obstructive sleep apnea. Here, a dental appliance
prevents
closure of the airway by holding the jaw and tongue
forward and keeping the palate up.
Continuous positive airway pressure: is considered the
best non-surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.
It focuses on moving the tissues of the airway which
remain open during sleep using air pressure. The air is
delivered through face mask or nasal under pressure. The
nose, palate, and throat tissues remain open when the
person breathes under gentle pressure.
Behavioral changes: Occasionally, apneas occur only in
some particular positions of sleep like lying flat on back in
such cases behavioral tretment is the simplest to apply
like by changing the sleeping position. Obesity is another
contributing factor to obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore,
weight loss can improve sleep apnea. It thereby becomes
necessary to maintain a healthy life style.
Medications: Nasal steroid sprays are known to be
effective in people with nasal airway obstruction. Topical
nasal decongestants like oxymetalizone can temporarily
heal nasal swelling. Thyroid replacement therapy helps
people with hypothyroidism. But, if the obstructive sleep
apnea is due to an anatomic airway narrowing it is
difficult to find a medication that will help.
Surgical treatment: there are various types of surgical
options for obstructive sleep apnea. It is chosen
depending upon individual's severity of sleep apnea and
his specific anatomy. Some of the general risks of surgery
include scar tissue, infection, bleeding, change in voice,
problem in swallowing. Few of the various kinds of
surgeries for obstructive sleep apnea include:
Tongue reduction
Palate implants
Hyoid suspension
Maxillomandibular procedures
The success rate of each surgery is determined by
whether or not a specific airway collapse is prevented.
The ideal surgery is different for different people
depending on their specific problem.
People tend to take sleep apnea very lighly by not getting
into any kind of treatment. It is estimated that only 10%
of the people with sleep apnea choose to being treated
whereas 90% refuse treatment. However, one should
remember the serious consequences of not getting
themselves treated. Sleep apnea may lead to heart
attacks, high blood pressure, strokes decreased
attentiveness at home, decreased productivity at work
and also sudden death.
More summaries about the Sleep Apnea - Do Not Neglect