Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

This is a condition that occurs in sleep and is characterized by repetitive episodes of obstruction to air flow into the lungs. The level of obstruction is usually at the level of the soft palate, however the obstruction can be at different levels in the throat.

The oropharynx is the principle site of obstruction in the upper airway, in people with obstruction sleep apnea syndrome. The soft palate can be enlarged, thickened, and elongated. The uvula can be swollen. The base of the tongue can protrude backwards and block the airway. The posterior pharyngeal lining can go into folds of redundant tissue. The pillars of fauces may be prominent and close to the midline. The tonsils can also be enlarged causing obstruction to airflow.

What are the signs and symptoms?

Persons with sleep apnea may stop breathing hundreds of times per night, and consequently, sleep is very disturbed. The brain repeatedly awakens the person so that breathing can resume. The normal sleep cycle is inhibited. This can make the person fatigued and sleepy throughout the daytime hours.

The typical scenario is:

What are the risks to my health?

You are at an increased risk for:

How is Sleep Apnea diagnosed?

The diagnosis is made by an overnight sleep study. During the study various bodily parameters are monitored, including brain waves, eye movements, oxygen levels, heart rate, and breathing patterns. This data is then interpreted by the physician to make the diagnosis. The study is painless!

What are the treatments available?

Nasal CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)

Nasal CPAP is a device that can be placed in your home to treat obstructive sleep apnea. The CPAP device works during sleep by gently blowing air from a machine into a mask applied over the person's nose. The air pressure keeps the airway open, thus eliminating the apnea and frequent awakenings. Nasal CPAP is the most reliable treatment method for sleep apnea.

Weight Loss

Even a small weight loss may make a difference in obstructive sleep apnea. Reversing severe sleep apnea usually requires weight loss of at least 20%, however. Some doctors think that patients lose weight more easily and naturally if their sleep apnea is treated first. Weight loss may also decrease the level of nasal CPAP pressure needed for treatment.

Positioning

Sleeping only on one's sides may reduce the severity of sleep apnea. It is difficult to do this voluntarily, but special garments and/or pillows may help you to train yourself to stay off your back during sleep.

Dental appliances

These are used to help keep the tongue and lower jaw from falling backwards during sleep. They are most effective in those with mild to moderate sleep apnea. They produce approximately a 50% improvement in the severity of apnea. These devices are fitted by dentists who specialize in the management of sleep apnea. These devices can produce jaw pain and excessive salivation during sleep.

Surgery

Surgery is an option for treatment. Surgeries focus on the soft palate, tongue, nose or jaw. They are all done in an effort to widen the airway. Surgeries vary in effectiveness depending on the severity of apnea and location of airway obstruction. These procedures are done by ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Physicians and Oral Surgeons.

How Can One Stop Snoring ?

Snoring is a problem for many of us. Ignoring the problem is not often in our best interest, as it can lead to other ailments that are more serious. We, at Texas Sleep Medicine, help people suffering from this problem control or stop snoring altogether.

Snoring is one of the many symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder wherein the airflow to the lungs of the patient is obstructed. For the patients suffering from this problem, the cycle of sleep is far from normal. The disturbed sleep is accompanied with headaches, indigestion, depression, and increased urination at night. Sleep problems such as these come with potential risks. The risks could vary from high blood pressure and heart attack to congestive heart failure and even stroke.

Our Austin sleep doctor understands the seriousness of such situations and we help our patients recover. At our Austin sleep clinic, we conduct several studies to diagnose the exact problem of our patients and start a process of treatment as early as possible.

The patients can make the most of our treatments to stop snoring and start living a healthy life. Our solutions could be anything from the use of nasal cpap mask (continuous positive air pressure) to surgeries on the soft palate, tongue, nose or jaw. We also conduct sleep studies in Austin, TX wherein certain parameters are evaluated and all kind of discrepancies are recorded.

All our endeavors are guided towards ensuring a tranquil sleep for all our patients. We help people stop snoring and gain some comfort back into their lives.

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