Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Facts Regarding Treatment For Sleep Apnea

By Diane Rogers


A medical condition known as sleep apnea occurs when one is sleeping whereby the airway gets obstructed which lead to a stop in the breathing process which is then resumed after sometime. This is an involuntary process which can take place a number of times during a single session of sleep and one cannot control it. Cause is the main determinant of treatment for sleep apnea.

However, the condition can also be instigated by a problem of signaling in the brain. Essentially, signals in the brain that control breathing are not correctly transmitted or received when this condition occurs. If obstruction causes this problem, it is known as obstructive sleep apnea and it is the most common cause. Signaling problems cause the other type of disorder referred to as central sleep apnea. This condition is not as 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.

Necessary changes in lifestyle are the first stride towards treating this condition. The type of life lived by one has been indicated by research to be the major cause of this problem. Side sleeping, weight loss, and smoking and/or alcohol cessation are some of the adjustments one should make in their lives. For some people, this condition may occur when sleeping on their backs. For these kind of people, normal breathing is attained when they sleep on the sides.

To such people, the goal of treatment is to ensure that they sleep on their side all the time. This can be done by wearing a special device around the waist or back that keep the individual sleeping on the side. Research conducted concluded that positional therapy is effective in the long term for people who cannot wear CPAP.

Airways are usually blocked by excess tissue in the throat which as one sleeps usually collapses thus causing sleep apnea. The problem can also be dealt with through surgery to remove the excess tissue. Areas targeted during the surgery includes the soft palate and uvula, tongue, upper and lower jaw, and the tonsils and adenoids.

Before one undergoes this procedure, they should understand a number of things about it. To begin with, a surgeon should be asked about the rate of success of the procedure. One should also learn about the different treatment choices open to them and why those choices are not suitable in their case. However, one should also be aware of risks and side effects involved in the surgery.




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