Sleep Apnea Treatments

Various Sleep Apnea Treatments

As a dental professional, it is important to realize that treating sleep apnea involves multiple health care professionals as well as loved ones. One of the first steps a loved one can take in diagnosis and treatment of loved ones is recognition. Does your partner experience interrupted breathing while sleeping? Are these interruptions longer than a few seconds in duration and frequent in occurrence? Is excessively loud snoring common?

If so, then you should talk with your partner about the possibility of sleep apnea. Diabetics and overweight people tend to increase the likelihood of developing sleep apnea. Many people are sensitive when it comes to discussing their embarrassing sleeping habits. That’s why I make it a point to ask spouses whether or not these events are occurring. I then look for other oral conditions that may exacerbate breathing while sleeping. If a patient presents with an abnormally large tongue or uvula during an oral examination that I believe may impede his or her ability to sleep, then a physician referral becomes necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment.

As far as sleep apnea treatments are concerned, the physician and dental professional must work together in concert. Treatment, of course, depends on the severity of the condition. The severity of the condition is often defined as how many interrupted breathing occurrences happen within a specified time frame.

A special machine with a face mask known as a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) may sometimes be used to treat obstructive sleep apnea. However compliance and home care maintenance to avoid bacterial growth in the various lines of the machine often reduce the success of such a treatment.

Alternatively, lesser invasive appliances such as an oral device may work better for patients with less severe forms of sleep apnea. Furthermore, in some mild cases, weight loss may be issued as a form of treatment to treat sleep apnea. Decreasing the amount of fat and therefore pressure may help to open up the airway, and in more radical cases, some patients may even opt to have their uvula surgically removed in order to create a more efficient airway.

Finally, one may also help treat their sleep apnea condition by positioning themselves more upright during sleep. This, however, may affect the quality of sleep one may receive as some people find it difficult to sleep in such a position.

Share and Enjoy:
  • del.icio.us
  • Mixx
  • FriendFeed
  • Ping.fm
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Filed Under Signs Of Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea Treatments, Sleep Apnea Treatments - Medical Choices, Sleep Apnea Treatments: CPAP Machine | Leave a Comment

CPAP Machine: Sleep Apnea Treatments

I was experiencing all the symptoms of sleep apnea, but didn’t know any better at the time. I was constantly snoring and never really felt refreshed after a night of sleep. After dozing off a couple of times while driving home from work the scare of what could have happened finally got me to go to my physician to check out sleep apnea treatments.

She provided me with a referral to a specialist along with a brochure on sleep apnea. I scheduled an appointment with the specialist and I was quickly schedule to undergo a sleep study. I showed up at the appointment and they prepared a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine (which is a device used to treat sleep apnea) and wired me up for monitoring.

They are monitoring you for multiple things including breathing patterns, eye movement, brain activity and extremity movement. The night started off going to sleep around 10pm and by about 2am they entered the room to put the CPAP machine. They monitored for another 4-5 hours and then I was let go until the results could be provided to my specialist. At this point, I had no idea my life was going change after reviewing the sleep study results. I met with the specialist a week later to find out I had a severe case of sleep apnea. The results were very clear I could never get into a REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycle and on the average I stopped breathing about 28 times a minute.

When I heard that number I wondered how I even kept myself alive while sleeping. We then turned to the comparative results when they placed the CPAP device on me. They had to make a few adjustments to the air pressure they were using, but where able to eliminate me from stopping breathing, no more snoring and they were able to see me get into a REM sleep cycle. After reviewing the results the treatment was on its way. I was provided a CPAP machine and fitted for a mask.

With my sleep apnea treatment in hand I headed home with the hope this would actually help. Within a week I could already see a huge difference. I woke up feeling more refreshed and alert in the mornings. When I was driving home from work I no longer felt tired and didn’t have to fight to keep myself awake. My energy started to turn around and I could now start to live again.

It has been a couple years now and there is no way anyone would take the CPAP machine away. I can’t even take a nap without having the CPAP. The CPAP is and will be my long term treatment for my sleep apnea condition.

Share and Enjoy:
  • del.icio.us
  • Mixx
  • FriendFeed
  • Ping.fm
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Filed Under Signs Of Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea Treatments, Sleep Apnea Treatments: CPAP Machine | Leave a Comment

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common problem for many people. Although it is rare in children, it is quite common in adults. Studies have shown that men seem to be the gender that is most affected by the disorder. Sleep apnea treatments are available so please consult with your physician.

In sleep apnea, the problem is that there are interruptions in the normal breathing cycle of the sufferer. The breathing might be reduced partially or stopped for anywhere up to 20-25 seconds. These interruptions can be as frequent as 5 times to over 100 times in a single hour.

The person under the effect of this sleep disorder normally shows the symptoms, such as loud snoring during sleep, sudden awakening or getting up frequently during sleep, as well as excessive sleepiness during the daytime, while doing everyday tasks. In sleep apnea, the person loses focus very easily and often has frequent mood swings, with the person becoming more easily irritated.

The root cause of this sleep disorder is blockage of the air passage. The blockage can be due to many factors. The structure of your face and jaw might be the hindering force behind improper air passage. The overgrown tissue in the area of the nose, mouth, uvula, adenoid or throat is also among the common cause of airway blockage, which can cause sleep apnea. The overgrown tissue relaxes while asleep and thus the blockage occurs.

Being overweight is a serious problem that can result in sleep apnea. The enlarged tissue in the body parts like the adenoids, uvula or tonsils is also another factor that contributes to it.

There are two types of sleep apnea; the more common one is Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The other type of sleep apnea is Central Sleep Apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is more of a breathing disorder where the air passage is blocked. However, central sleep apnea is more on the neurological side, in which a central nervous system dysfunction occurs. In simple words the brain signal that tells the body when to breathe in, is delayed due to central nervous system disorder.

Sleep apnea can be a very serious condition and should not be left untreated. Consult a doctor if you think you may be suffering from this sleep disorder and with proper treatment it can be controlled and in some cases, completely cured.

Share and Enjoy:
  • del.icio.us
  • Mixx
  • FriendFeed
  • Ping.fm
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Filed Under Signs Of Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea Treatments | 2 Comments

« go back — keep looking »