Managing Sleep Apnea

People suffering from sleep apnea should realize that it is a very grave sleep disorder and can have life threatening and fatal consequences. People with this sleep disorder generally do not have any trouble getting sleep but have reduced ability to breathe normally during their sleep.

Symptoms Of Insomnia

This difficulty in breathing is as a result of relaxation of muscles of the throat causing the airway to collapse. Due to the difficulty in breathing, the brain receives an emergency signal indicating cessation of breathing and the person wakes up and is able to breathe normally once more.

This inability to breathe normally at sleep can recur several times at night and can recur for as high a number as 50 times in the matter of an hour with each episode lasting for about 10 seconds or so. People with this disorder are generally oblivious to the problem that they are suffering although they have a tendency to feel extremely tired during the day.

Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the types of sleep apnea and people suffering from this condition might also have central sleep apnea in which case the condition is referred to as mixed sleep apnea.

About 18 to 20% of the entire adult population in America is believed to suffer from the sleeping disorder of obstructive sleep apnea which if left unchecked can have untoward effects and may even cause death in rare cases. It is also the leading cause for many other systemic conditions like cardiac diseases, hypertension and stroke.

Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea can be managed through several means that include noninvasive treatments or surgery. Positive airway pressure is usually the initial type of treatment that is usually administered for this condition. This is a noninvasive method of management of the condition in which the person will receive good supply of air during sleep through a mask. The amount of force with which the air is supplied is assessed by a sleep technician who conducts a sleep study on the patient. This treatment modality is of three different types namely CPAP, BiPAP AND AutoPAP.

There are many dental devices that are helpful in managing mild or moderate cases and these devices will include lower jaw or mandibular devices, tongue retention devices and advancing devices. The most commonly used device is the mandibular device where in the device fits on to the upper jaw while bringing the lower jaw and the tongue into a more forward position thus allowing the airway to remain open for entry of air.

Medications For Sleep Disorder

Sleep apnea is not effectively treated by the use of medications although many people do try out using drugs like antidepressants or mondafinal.

People using PAP therapy use supplemental oxygen. Although the use of PAP therapy will not have any effect on the airway collapse or fragmented sleep patterns, there is increased supply of oxygen to the blood that will help in preventing untoward complications of this sleep disorder.

Sleep Apnea Surgery

Surgical options are also considered for some people who experience this sleep disorder and include corrective jaw surgery, somnoplasty, palatal implants, tracheostomy or uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.

By administering proper treatment and management, the chances of complications from this sleep disorder gets reduced and so does the effects it has on day to day life.