Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Useful Facts About Treatment For Sleep Apnea

By Diane Rogers


When one is asleep and the airways are obstructed, a medical disorder known as sleep apnea occurs. This obstruction causes one to have difficulty in breathing. In one sleep session, one may experience obstruction in breathing up to several times. One cannot control this process because it takes place voluntarily. Treatment for sleep apnea will depend on the cause.

Besides being caused by obstructed airways, this condition is also caused by a signaling problem in the brain. Basically, brain signals that control breathing are not received and/or transmitted correctly. If this problem is caused by obstructed airways, it is called obstructive sleep apnea and it is the commonest. The other variety of this condition is caused by signaling problem and is called central sleep apnea. This one is less common.

When one is experiencing this problem, they stop breathing momentarily until the airways are opened or the breathing signal is received by the brain. When normal breathing is resumed, someone usually snorts or takes a deep breath. Sometimes on may awaken completely with a sensation of choking, smothering, or gasping. If this condition goes on without being treated, the patient is likely to develop depression or heart attack among other conditions.

Treatment is determined by the cause of the condition and how severe it is. All treatment methods usually aim to make the breathing process normal again as one sleeps. There are several effects of normalized breathing including elimination of daytime fatigue. It also helps prevent cardiovascular changes resulting from strain caused by inadequate breathing.

The first step to treating this condition is to necessary lifestyle changes. Research indicates that this problem can be caused in large part by the kind of life one lives. Some of the life modifications that one needs to make include alcohol and smoking cessation, weight loss, and side sleeping. In some people sleep apnea only occurs when they lie on their back, but breathing returns to normal when they sleep on the side.

Such people should ensure they sleep on their side every time. Wearing special devices around the waist or the back to keep one from sleeping on their side is also a treatment approach. Research has concluded that positional therapy is efficient over a long period for one who is not able to wear CPAP.

Extra tissues in the throat that fail during sleep cause airways to block leading to sleep apnea. Surgery can be done to remove these extra tissues therefore eliminating the problem. Various areas are targeted by the surgery. These areas include uvula and soft palate, adenoids and tonsils, tongue, lower and upper jaws.

Before undergoing the procedure, it is important for one to understand a few things about it. First, one must ask the surgeon about the success fate of the procedure. One must also learn about the various options available to them and why they are not the best for the patient. There are also certain side effects and risks involved in any kinds of surgery, and so one should know about them.




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