1 Stop Snoring

Understanding the deeper intricacies of any health condition gives you an edge. You not only fathom the underlying nuances better but also get a better grip on its management. Obstructive sleep apnea, one of the most common types of sleep disorders is one such condition that you might like to know more about, especially if you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with it.

Most of us are familiar with only one type of sleep disorder, and that is snoring. It is such a common problem that a majority of us do not even seek any remedy for it, thinking that it either gets cured on its own or perhaps there is nothing than we can do to get rid of it. Unfortunately, snoring, when left untreated can turn vicious in no time. It worsens into one of the worst types of sleep disorders called sleep apnea, the most common variety being the obstructive type.

What happens during this condition?

This is a condition marked by repeated breathlessness during sleep. Caused by narrowing of the airway, it happens when there is a complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract. Two primary triggers for the onset of the condition are uncontrolled obesity and untreated snoring.

The recurrent pauses in breathing are perhaps the most distressful aspect of the illness. Each pause could last for 10 seconds or more and in an hour and depending on how serious the condition is, the patient could stop breathing 5 to 30 times in an hour and several times in the night.

Sleep apnea symptoms: tough to catch

The main reason why this otherwise common ailment takes so long to be diagnosed is because a majority of the features appear only during sleep. The early signs are noticed by the person sharing the bed. The patient comes to know about them late.

Loud and persistent snoring; frequent tossing and turning during sleep; intermittent pauses in the snoring which seems like stoppage of breathing; repeated choking and gasping during sleep, etc. are some of the signs noticed by the person sharing the same bed.

What the victim experiences subsequently are: rapid and irrational weight gain, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, high blood pressure, headaches, sore throat and dry mouth in the morning, repeated waking during sleep, poor memory, etc.

Chances of being misdiagnosed are high

This is a baffling question that bothers many patients, because some features of this illness also appear in other sleep disorders. For example, excessive sleepiness during the day is one of the primary hypersomnia symptoms. It is also a main feature of narcolepsy.

The riddle can be solved if one probes more into the other prominent features of the sleep disorders. What is narcolepsy? It is a disorder arising out of dysfunctional neurological system resulting in another important feature: sudden sleep attacks. This puts the patient to sleep without notice just about any time, no matter where he or she is. This is a characteristic differentiator.

For proper differentiation, it helps to analyze the age of onset of different sleep disorders. While the typical age at which apnea sets in is around 50 years, other illnesses set in much earlier.

Sleep apnea treatment: how does the doctor go about it?

Site of obstruction and severity of the condition are deciding factors for opting for the most suitable therapy. Managing mild to moderate conditions is done by using devices like CPAP, toning and strengthening the breathing muscles with the help of special exercises, giving up alcohol, changing sleeping posture, raising pillow height, etc.

However, surgery is often the best choice for bring severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea under control. Some options are genioglossus advancement; mandibular myotomy, tracheotomy, uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), hyoid suspension; maxillomandibular surgery; and bariatric surgery.

If you want to know more about sleep apnea treatment, feel free to visit Douglas Kidder’s site and find out all you need to know about obstructive sleep apnea.

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1. Sleep Apnea Causes and Symptoms: Knowing About Them Can Help You Cope Better
2. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: If You Have Done Nothing to Treat Snoring, Read This
3. Sleep Apnea: How Much Are You Aware Of This Dreaded Illness?
4. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Beginners’ Guide
5. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: How And Why Does It Set In?
6. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The More You Know About It, the Better Control You Have Over It
7. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: If You Are Nearing 50, Knowledge about It Helps
8. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Fundamentals
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10. Sleep Apnea Symptoms: The Sooner You Know What They Are The Quicker You Can Seek Therapy