Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment
Patients that are obese, snore heavily and are chronically sleepy during the day may have obstructive sleep apnea. Lab studies done on the patient can confirm if this is the case. The symptoms and testing results will determine the severity of the sleep apnea. Once the patient has been properly diagnosed then obstructed sleep apnea treatment solutions can be looked investigated.
If the sleep apnea condition is mild then the patient can begin some conservative obstructed sleep apnea treatments. Mild treatments include the patient getting more sleep, stop using alcohol and sedatives, lose weight and also the patient should avoid sleeping in the supine position. The supine position is when the patient sleeps on their back face up.
The most effective obstructive sleep apnea treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). If the patient is a heavier person with a thicker neck, they will require a higher-pressure setting. In addition, as the patient ages or gain weight then more pressure will be required.
If the patient has twenty or more breathing problems in an hour then they would be eligible for obstructive sleep apnea treatment. A patient that has twenty or more episodes per hour could eventually experience a decrease in mortality. The number of sleep apnea disturbances per hour is referred as the apnea-hypopnea index, it is also known as the respiratory disturbance index. However, if a patient with less than twenty episodes per hour is experiencing issues such as fatigue, sleepiness or serious complications such as heart failure.
Reduced nasal airflow will cause people to snore. Hence, mouth-breathing resulting from nasal obstruction will increase the chances of a person snoring. Additionally, mouth breathing will cause the persons jaw to drop, which narrows the pharyngeal airway, which in turn could cause obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea treatments include raising the head of the bed and avoiding the supine position while sleeping. Elevating the head of the bed causes the persons tongue to move forward and sleeping on the side will cause the tongue to move laterally.
A mild sleep apnea sufferer will benefit more from conservative obstructive treatments. A person with a more severe case should use the conservative methods as well as more intrusive methods.
As mentioned earlier, one of the more intrusive obstructive sleep apnea treatments is the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. This treatment can cause minor complications such as dryness, congestion, air leakage from the mask, claustrophobia, skin abrasions, and conjunctivitis.
If the patient is having trouble with the CPAP machine then perhaps a room temperature humidifier should be attached to the machine. The humidifier will add moisture and should help with the nasal dryness. As you can see the obstructive sleep apnea treatment may have to be adjusted to fit the patients needs.
Another method of obstructive sleep apnea treatment is surgery. This treatment is only for patients who cannot be treated adequately with CPAP. This particular surgery is called uvulopalatoplasty, where part of the uvula and soft palate are removed to attempt to reduce the snoring and breathing problems experienced by the patient.
Do you suffer from sleep apnea? Our site focuses on sleep apnea treatments and symptoms for sufferers of sleep apnea.
by T. D. Houser
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