Every doctor welcomes patient awareness and knowledge about the illness he or she is suffering from. This not only helps in managing the condition, but even speeds up the recovery process. Obstructive sleep apnea is one such sleep disorder, the recovery from which can be hastened if the patient is well-conversant with the basics of the condition.
Before we get into anything else, let is talk about snoring for a while. This is one of the most neglected sleep disorders that do not get the importance it deserves. Most snorers learn to live with the problem or think that there is no cure for it - so why try? However, this seemingly harmless condition can worsen into one of the most distressful sleep disorders called sleep apnea. The obstructive type is the most common variety of this condition.
What happens during this condition?
Essentially this condition is caused when the airways narrow causing pauses in breathing. This particular type of disorder happens when there is a complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract. Neglected snoring and unattended obesity are the two main triggers for the onset of the condition.
The pauses in breathing are responsible for causing major breathing distress during sleep. Depending on the severity of the condition, a patient may experience 5 to 30 such pauses in an hour, where a single pause lasts for about 10 seconds or more. Such episodes are repeated several times during the night,.
Sleep apnea symptoms: tough to catch
One of the reasons why this common disorder remains undiagnosed is because most of the features happen during sleep. Some early signs are noticed by the bed partner and some are noticed subsequently by the patient.
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.
Rapid and unexplained weight gain, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, high blood pressure, headaches, sore throat and dry mouth in the morning, repeated waking during sleep, forgetfulness, etc. are signs that push the patient to seek medical advice.
Some signs are common with other sleep disorders
There are chances of diagnostic confusion since certain features of this illness are also seen in other sleep disorders. Excessive daytime sleepiness, for instance is one of the primary hypersomnia symptoms and even narcoleptics show this sign.
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: getting started
The choice of therapy entirely depends on the location and nature of obstruction and the overall severity of the condition. If the condition is mild to moderate, using devices like CPAP, doing special exercises to tone and strengthen the breathing muscles, quitting alcohol, changing sleeping posture, raising pillow height, etc. are some of the common recommendations.
Surgery is reserved for the management of more severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea. Some popular options here are genioglossus advancement; mandibular myotomy, tracheotomy, uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), hyoid suspension; maxillomandibular surgery; and bariatric surgery.
Before we get into anything else, let is talk about snoring for a while. This is one of the most neglected sleep disorders that do not get the importance it deserves. Most snorers learn to live with the problem or think that there is no cure for it - so why try? However, this seemingly harmless condition can worsen into one of the most distressful sleep disorders called sleep apnea. The obstructive type is the most common variety of this condition.
What happens during this condition?
Essentially this condition is caused when the airways narrow causing pauses in breathing. This particular type of disorder happens when there is a complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract. Neglected snoring and unattended obesity are the two main triggers for the onset of the condition.
The pauses in breathing are responsible for causing major breathing distress during sleep. Depending on the severity of the condition, a patient may experience 5 to 30 such pauses in an hour, where a single pause lasts for about 10 seconds or more. Such episodes are repeated several times during the night,.
Sleep apnea symptoms: tough to catch
One of the reasons why this common disorder remains undiagnosed is because most of the features happen during sleep. Some early signs are noticed by the bed partner and some are noticed subsequently by the patient.
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.
Rapid and unexplained weight gain, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, high blood pressure, headaches, sore throat and dry mouth in the morning, repeated waking during sleep, forgetfulness, etc. are signs that push the patient to seek medical advice.
Some signs are common with other sleep disorders
There are chances of diagnostic confusion since certain features of this illness are also seen in other sleep disorders. Excessive daytime sleepiness, for instance is one of the primary hypersomnia symptoms and even narcoleptics show this sign.
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: getting started
The choice of therapy entirely depends on the location and nature of obstruction and the overall severity of the condition. If the condition is mild to moderate, using devices like CPAP, doing special exercises to tone and strengthen the breathing muscles, quitting alcohol, changing sleeping posture, raising pillow height, etc. are some of the common recommendations.
Surgery is reserved for the management of more severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea. Some popular options here are genioglossus advancement; mandibular myotomy, tracheotomy, uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), hyoid suspension; maxillomandibular surgery; and bariatric surgery.
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If you want to know more about sleep apnea symptoms, then make sure to visit Douglas Kidder's excellent free report on sleep apnea treatment.
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