Common Sleep Apnea Treatment
Sleep apnea can be a very dangerous disorder particularly if left untreated for extended periods, and this is the reason why you should immediately look for a good sleep apnea treatment as soon as you realize that you are suffering from this condition. A person who has sleep apnea experiences frequent disturbances in sleeping due to breathing difficulties, and this can inadvertently lead to very serious side effects like increased blood pressure and a much higher risk of stroke or heart attack.
For mild cases of sleep apnea, simple lifestyle changes may already be an adequate sleep apnea treatment. For example, if you smoke or drink alcohol on a regular basis, all you need to do is to minimize these habits and your sleep apnea worries will go away completely. Or if you are overweight, you can try losing a few extra pounds in order to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea. For severe cases, however, more drastic sleep apnea treatments may be required.
CPAP – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
Next to lifestyle changes, the CPAP treatment is the most recommended solution to the problem of sleep apnea. This treatment requires the use of a special mask that must be worn while sleeping. It keeps the air passages open by regularly blowing pressurized air into the person’s lungs. In addition to being an effective sleep apnea treatment, the CPAP procedure can also eliminate the annoying problem of loud snoring.
A lot of people have benefited from the use of CPAP machines, but they can also cause some negative side effects from time to time. Some of the complaints that have been heard about these devices is that they can cause dryness in the nose, bloating of the stomach, eyesores, skin irritation and frequent headaches during the day. These symptoms can be avoided by checking the setting of the CPAP machine and consulting with your doctor beforehand as to which particular machine to use.
Dental Devices
Another highly recommended sleep apnea treatment is the use of dental devices. These oral gadgets are placed inside the mouth and keeps the throat open to ensure the regular flow of air into the lungs while breathing. You should be careful when using these devices though, because with improper use, they can cause damage to your gums, teeth and jaw.
Surgery
When all other sleep apnea treatments have been tried to no avail, you might have to consider the last resort of undergoing surgery. Common surgical procedures that can help with sleep apnea are tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. While these procedures do provide much relief from sleep apnea, they are also irreversible so you have to think long and hard before deciding to have them done.
Basic Facts about Sleep Apnea
If you have been waking up feeling tired and unrested even after a full eight hours of sleep the previous night, then you might be suffering from a case of sleep apnea. Of course, there are several possible reasons for your mysterious fatigue symptoms, but sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders that come with this particular symptom. What happens to someone with this sleeping problem is that they periodically stop breathing several times throughout the night. When the body senses the lack of oxygen, it wakes itself up and resumes breathing.
Most people who suffer from this condition are not even aware of these frequent disturbances in their sleep, but they will surely feel the effects of not being able to sleep straight and deeply when they wake up the next day. Oftentimes, they are sluggish during the day and experience headaches especially in the morning. They are also usually highly irritable, forgetful and unable to think clearly.
Causes of Sleep Apnea
In order to get appropriate sleep apnea treatment, it is first necessary to figure out what the causes of the condition are. There are a few possible reasons why people stop breathing while sleeping, and the most common is some kind of physical obstruction. The tonsils in particular are a very common culprit, particularly if they are swollen and press on the person’s airways, blocking the regular flow of oxygen into the lungs. When the tonsils are enlarged and relaxed at the same time, they can easily fall back into the throat while the person is lying down, effectively blocking the air passage. This condition also causes snoring in most people, even if they don’t really develop full-blown sleep apnea.
People Who Are More At Risk of Sleep Apnea
Although sleep apnea does occur in all types of people regardless of their age or gender, there are some individuals who are more at risk than others. Heavy alcohol drinkers, for instance, are more prone to suffering from this condition because alcohol relaxes the throat muscles and tonsils even more, increasing the risk of creating obstructions in the airway. People who are overweight are also more likely to suffer from this sleep disorder because of the excess fat that they have around their throat, which can make breathing difficult while they are sleeping. Furthermore, the use of certain medications can also increase the risk of sleep apnea, so if you already have this problem, you should let your doctor know before taking any new medication.
