Dr. Inna

In the hurry to know more about the treatment of a condition, most of us lose sight of the rationale of the therapy recommended by the doctor or surgeon. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition often demands such hurry. But unless you understand some of the basics of this horribly distressful sleep disorder, you might find it extremely difficult to fathom as to why the doctor decided to opt for a particular therapy option.

Ignorance is bliss at times, but not when you are faced with a condition like obstructive sleep apnea that not only robs you of sleep night after night, but may have fatal consequences if not treated at the right time with the right therapy.

What is sleep apnea?

This is the first question in your quest for more knowledge about the disorder that you need an answer to. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that is characterized by intermittent breathlessness during sleep. A single pause can last for 10 seconds but in an hour, a victim may stop breathing 5 to 30 times. Of the three types of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea is most common, originating mainly from neglected snoring. It is caused by a collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract.

Some of the characteristic sleep apnea symptoms include rapid weight gain, excessive tiredness during the day, chronic depression, serious sleep disturbance, etc. At this juncture you should learn more about two important aspects about sleep apnea: its relationship with body weight and deviated septum.

Sleep apnea and weight gain

Sleep apnea and weight gain enjoy a cause-and-effect relationship that has far-reaching consequences. First or all, apnea affects obese individuals mostly; secondly, weight gain is a prominent symptom of apnea. Additionally, the constant disturbance that sleep apnea creates, invariably affects normal appetite of an individual, particularly two important hormones called Grehlin and Leptin. Resultant imbalance in these hormones also results in weighty gain.

Relief from obstructive sleep apnea is also related to bodyweight in the sense that no treatment for this condition is possible without weight loss.

Deviated septum and sleep apnea

The relationship between deviated septum and sleep apnea is also important as deviated septum is often the root cause behind snoring – which when left untreated, invariably worsens into sleep apnea. The existence of deviated septum and sleep apnea is diagnosed with the help of sleep apnea test, known as polysomnogram examination. The test confirms the initial diagnosis of doctors after reviewing the usual sleep apnea symptoms. This test can reveal the severity of the condition as well as the site of location of the obstruction in the respiratory air passage.

Obstructive sleep apnea: the way out

If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and the root of the condition is significant septal deviation, chances are that none of the tips on how to get better sleep would work for you no matter how hard the doctor tries. Depending on the severity of the condition, your doctor would invariably think surgery and more specifically somnoplasty procedures to treat the condition.

Somnoplasty procedures are FDA-approved surgical methods for treating habitual snoring and sleep apnea. They successfully reset the deviated septum as well as remove and repair excessive tissues blocking the nasal passage.

If you want relief from snoring and sleep apnea symptoms without invasive surgery or noisy CPAP machines, try our dental oral appliance.

About the Author

Marc MacDonald is an independent researcher who has spent considerable time and effort in studying and collating information about health-related concerns, specifically focused on sleep and nutrition.

He has written innumerable research reports on particular subjects like somnoplasty, sleep apnea symptoms, becoming vegan, eating raw food, deviated nasal septum surgery, snoring remedies, and good night sleep techniques.

A tonsillectomy is a surgery to remove the tonsils. This surgery is often performed if your tonsils are enlarged and are blocking the airways during sleep. It is more often used to treat obstructive sleep apnea in children but it is almost never performed on adults especially if it is just to treat snoring.

For children and young adults who suffer from sleep apnea it is often found that it is caused by enlarged tonsils or adenoids and is therefore generally recommended as the first way to treat sleep apnea. It is found that more than 75% of these procedures are successful when treating children.

The improvements that are seen after a tonsillectomy are noticeable within six months after the surgery. These improvements include a decline in snoring and other restless sleep. It diminishes the number of colds and coughing that the child experiences as well. In many cases it also reduces hyperactivity and other behavioral problems that were prevalent before the surgery because the child is getting better rest and therefore more sleep.

If a child has other medical conditions like asthma or other respiratory problems those conditions would be treated first before considering the surgery and would be monitored afterwards as well.

The risks of this surgery are generally small if the child has no other medical conditions, but some complications that could occur include excessive bleeding or infection. In most cases the patient will have some difficulty eating and swallowing for a few days after the procedure.

As with any surgery it is important to seek sound medical advice from a physician who understands and works with this type of problem. You should also check with your insurance company to ensure that the procedure is covered as it will most often not be if you only indicate that it has to do with reducing snoring.

Not comfortable with invasive surgery? Want relief from snoring without a noisy CPAP? Try our dental oral appliance.

Do you want to know how to stop snoring? This stop snoring mouthpiece that is an effective snoring remedy and solution to help you stop snoring and sleep at night.

People who have the misfortune to snore frequently or have obstructive sleep apnea suffer from sleep deprivation which can affect your daily life as well. The longer that you have the symptoms of sleep apnea the more that you will start to see how it impacts your work or studying in school.

Because you are awakening frequently during the night you are not getting a good night’s rest. Each episode of snoring causes your air flow to be blocked for ten seconds or more causing you to try to catch your breath. This can be repeated for some people hundreds of times during a single night.

Sleep deprivation from snoring or sleep apnea can lead to irritability but more concerning is that it can lead to more serious health concerns. Often depression ensues when you have continued sleep deprivation that leads to a decline in your mental functioning because you have been deprived of not only your sleep but also of oxygen during those frequent snoring episodes.

The loud snoring does not necessarily mean you have sleep apnea but it can certainly lead to that if it continues for long periods of time – over weeks and months instead of once a week. You will experience headaches and daytime drowsiness and can increase chances of a heart attack – especially if you also have other risk factors like smoking, aging, high cholesterol or high blood pressure or diabetes.

If you feel you might have all the classic symptoms of sleep apnea you should seek a physician’s advice to determine the extent of the problem. Sleep deprivation that goes untreated will affect your ability to work effectively or study or listen during classes – making a health problem even more significant if it goes untreated. So don’t delay getting an expert opinion so that you can remedy the situation immediately.

Do you want to know how to stop snoring? Our stop snoring mouthpiece is an effective snoring remedy and solution to help you stop snoring and sleep at night.

Husbands and wives alike all over the country are all too familiar with the term “snoring” and what it means to have a spouse with the problem.  I think the wife of  snorer said it best, “you try sleeping next to a buzz saw every night”.

Snoring is defined as the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping.  Unfortunately, it is not just a nuisance it is a real medical problem in and of itself, and it could represent a more serious medical problem – obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Statistics on snoring are often all over the place, but at least 30% of adults and perhaps as many as 50% of people in some demographics snore.One survey of 5,713 Italian residents identified habitual snoring in 24% of men and 13.8% of women, rising to 60% of men and 40% of women aged 60 to 65 years; this suggests an increased susceptibility to snoring as age increases.

Not only is snoring common but it has a significant impact on the quality of life for both the snorer and the bed partner – loss of libido, daytime somnolence and irritability, decreased ability to focus on and complete tasks.  Furthermore, habitual snoring has been shown to be related to early onset atherosclerosis with increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

So what can be done about snoring?  First, one needs to see their physician to be evaluated.  The treatment of snoring is complex and requires accurate diagnosis.  This process often starts off with getting a sleep study or polysomnography (PSG).  This will give your doctor the ability to grade the severity of your sleep-disordered breathing.  Once this is done, your doctor can more accurately diagnose not only the severity but potentially why you are having the problem.

Another problem with people that snore is sometimes they refuse to admit their problem, and it can make it extremely tough on the spouse that has to listen to them all night long. There is a much better way to live.

It suffices to say, snoring is a real problem, but there are viable treatment options out there to help.  One should not hesitate to see a doctor that specializes in snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sleep-articles/treatment-ideas-for-snoring-and-obstructive-sleep-apnea-4385766.html