Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder. It causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep. It can cause loud snoring and daytime tiredness, even with a full night’s sleep.
Sleep-Related Hypoventilation Disorders
Sleep-related hypoventilation disorders involve elevated blood levels of carbon dioxide during sleep that result from a lack of air moving in and out of the lungs. This breathing problem is usually tied to other health problems. People with this disorder, often have lung conditions like COPD and pulmonary hypertension.
Causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
It is caused by the blockage of airway when the soft tissue in the rear of throat collapses during sleep. So when the muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes when you breath in. This may lower the level of oxygen in your blood causing carbon dioxide buildup.
Your brain senses this impaired breathing and briefly rouses you from sleep so that you can reopen your airway. This awakening being so brief, you don’t remember it.
Risk Factors
Anyone can develop obstructive sleep apnea. However, certain factors put you at increased risk, including:
- Excess weight
- Narrowed airway
- High blood pressure
- Nasal congestion
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Family history of sleep apnea
- Asthma
Symptoms & When to see a Pulmonologist
Many of those affected have no sleep complaints. The most common signs and symptoms of OSA include:
- Loud snoring
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Morning headache
- Awakening with dry mouth or sore throat
- Sweating at nighttime
- Frequent urination at night
- Mood disturbances (depression & anxiety)
- Observed episodes of stopped breathing during sleep
When to see a pulmonologist
You should consult a pulmonologist if you experience the following:
- Waking up choking or gasping
- Snoring loud enough to disturb your sleep
- Intermittent pauses in your breathing during sleep
- Excessive daytime drowsiness
Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
To diagnose your condition, your doctor may make an evaluation based on your signs and symptoms, an examination, and tests.
TESTS MAY INCLUDE:Polysomnography - During this sleep study, you're hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.
Home sleep apnea testing - This is a modified type of sleep study that can be done in the comfort of home and is preferred to confirm a diagnosis of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
For milder cases of obstructive sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes:
- Losing weight
- Regular exercise
- Quit smoking
- Don’t sleep on your back
- Avoid taking sedative medications
In mild cases of obstructive sleep apnea, conservative therapy may be all that is needed. It includes:
Positive Airway Pressure
With PAP therapy, patients wear a mask over their nose and/or mouth. An air blower gently forces air through the nose and/or mouth. The air pressure is adjusted so that it is just enough to prevent the upper airway tissues from collapsing during sleep.
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is the most widely used of the PAP devices. The machine is set at one single pressure.
Mouthpiece (oral device)
These devices may reduce your sleepiness and improve your quality of life. These devices are designed to keep your throat open.
Surgery or other procedures
Surgery is usually considered only if other therapies haven't been effective or haven't been appropriate options for you. The options may include: surgical removal of tissue from the back of your mouth, jaw surgery, surgical opening in the neck (tracheostomy), implants, etc.
Looking for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment in Ahmedabad?
If you suspect that you have obstructive sleep apnea, it’s better without making any delay you consult nearby pulmonologist. To consult Dr. Pradip Dabhi – for sleep related respiratory diseases treatment, contact us or drop us a message.