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.