1 Stop Snoring

You knew that your snoring problem was getting worse by the day. On top of that you are obese. Today, your doctor has diagnosed the condition as obstructive sleep apnea a condition you know nothing about.

Perhaps you chose to ignore these health problems since you never realized your own risk potential. However, instead of regretting the past decisions, you could spend some time now in learning more about the distressful disorder, why it chose you as a victim, what the early signs are and most importantly, how quickly you can come out of the situation.

What is the condition and why did it affect you?

It is undoubtedly one of the most distressful sleep disorders, triggered by untreated snoring. It happens when the airway narrows. The main feature of the illness is severe breathing distress due to recurrent pauses in breathing during sleep. Of the 3 types the obstructive type is most common. It happens when there is complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract. Why you? It is because:

- Obese

- You left snoring untreated.

What are the usual signs?

Though this is one of the most common sleep disorders, catching sleep apnea symptoms is not easy since most of them appear during sleep. The first signs are normally noticed by the bed partner. These include loud and persistent snoring, choking and gasping during sleep, restlessness, pauses in breathing, etc. The patient subsequently experiences rapid and unexpected weight gain, excessive daytime sleepiness, mood disorders, morning headaches, frequent waking at night, etc.

Wrong diagnosis is a possibility

No matter how elaborate the individual experiences are narrated to the doctor, patient would invariably be advised to take a diagnostic test called the polysomnogram examination or overnight sleep study. This is the only reliable and objective test that confirms the nature of illness, the site of obstruction in the respiratory tract, cause of illness as well as the severity of the condition.

Assessing the severity is important since subsequent choice of therapy depends on it.

In case such a confirmatory diagnostic test is not done, this disorder is likely to be misdiagnosed. This is because of the presence of certain misleading signs shared by several sleep disorders. For example, excessive daytime sleepiness is not unique to this disorder but is one of the main hypersomnia symptoms. Even narcoleptics experience over-sleepiness during the day.

But truth is revealed on closer examination. What is narcolepsy? It is a disorder caused by neurological dysfunction and one of the other main features of this illness is sudden sleep attacks. This sign is unique to this disorder only. Let us then examine the therapy options and typical age of onset of these disorders. Apnea sets in around 50 years of age, whereas other sleep disorders set in much earlier. Therapy choices for sleep apnea treatment involve using devices, altering sleep posture or even surgery, if the situation demands so. Options for managing other disorders do not touch upon such initiatives.

Choices in therapy

Putting the patient on CPAP therapy, sleeping on specially designed pillows, exercises for the breathing muscles, quitting alcohol, changing sleep position, raising pillow height, etc., are typical recommendations for the management of mild to moderate conditions.

Management of more serious cases of obstructive sleep apnea, usually need surgery. Some surgical 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 more information about sleep apnea symptoms, then visit Douglas Kidder’s excellent free report on obstructive sleep apnea.

Related posts:

1. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The More Aware You Are the Better You Cope
2. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Beginners’ Guide
3. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: If You Have Done Nothing to Treat Snoring, Read This
4. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: How And Why Does It Set In?
5. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: If You Are Nearing 50, Knowledge about It Helps
6. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Fundamentals
7. Sleep Apnea Treatment: How to Choose the Best Option?
8. Sleep Apnea and Weight Gain: Break the Link to Come Out Of the Condition
9. Sleep Apnea Symptoms: Knowing What to Expect Helps
10. Sleep Apnea Treatment: How Serious Is The Condition?