Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Your snoring can be more than an annoyance to your partner. It can also be a sign of a serious sleep disorder that can have long terms effects on your health. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that occurs when the upper airway becomes obstructed by a narrowing of the respiratory passages.

It can disrupt your breathing and unknowingly wake you up countless times during the night. Consequently, you won't get the deep sleep that you need to function well when awake. In this article, we'll detail the symptoms of this disorder and your apnea treatment options.

The most common features in patients with obstructive sleep apnea are loud snoring, disrupted sleep, nocturnal gasping and choking, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, and a short, thick neck. The patient is often brought to the physician's office by a family member who is being disturbed by the patient's loud snoring.

The partner may describe episodes in which the patient stops breathing and then gives a loud gasp or snort when aroused by the apnea. These episodes may be worse after the patient drinks alcohol or takes sleep medicine because these sedatives decrease pharyngeal muscle tone.

Sleep apnea can come with other health conditions. Cardiovascular disease is common in patients. Hypertension and obesity increase the risk of cardiac disease and are frequent findings in patients with this sleep disorder.

Patients with apnea who are smokers may also have coronary artery disease and obstructive airway disease. Psychosocial problems are common in patients who have sleep apnea. These patients often have depression, mood changes, poor memory, irritability and impaired concentration. Nocturnal panic attacks have also been associated with this sleep disorder.

Sleep medicine isn't enough to treat apnea. Specialists usually recommend weight loss, and dental devices that modify the position of the tongue or jaw. Some doctors may prescribe the use of a CPAP mask.

With this method, straps hold the mask firmly over the nose and the CPAP machine that generates the positive airway pressure sits on a table next to the bed. CPAP treatment is used in most patients who have sleep apnea.

Jaw surgery is the most invasive surgical procedure used to treat this malady. The surgical procedure may be limited to pulling the tongue forward. An extensive procedure may entail moving both the mandible and maxilla. Extensive jaw surgery has a higher complication rate and a longer recovery time.

The severity of the symptoms will vary by patient, but it's important to seek help as soon as possible because the condition can severely affect your overall health. In addition, obstructive sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness which can result in accidents, lost productivity and interpersonal relationship problems.

The sooner you get help, the sooner you can improve your quality of life.