All About Sleep Apnea: Facts and Treatments

Have you been told that you're a frequent or loud snorer? Or do you find yourself always waking up, feeling short of breath, choking, or gasping for air? Take heed, because these are possible symptoms of a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea.

If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to potentially serious health complications, such as heart attack, stroke, hypertension, to name a few.

Discussed below are some of the important facts about sleep apnea as well as the treatment options available for it.

Facts About Sleep Apnea

Here are some important facts about sleep apnea to help give you a better understanding of the condition, particularly why you need to seek prompt medical intervention if you suspect that you have it.

Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders in the United States, affecting people of all ages, particularly men.

There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA). With OSA, your upper airway muscles relax too much to facilitate normal breathing, whereas with CSA, your brain fails to send signals to your muscles that control your breathing.

The breathing disturbances associated with sleep apnea can cause poor-quality sleep and affect the body's supply of oxygen, leading to potentially serious complications such as high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cardiac arrest, among others.

Obstructive sleep apnea can sometimes be prevented. Maintaining a healthy weight, smoking cessation, limiting alcohol intake, and avoiding the use of sedatives and tranquillizers can help to reduce your risk of developing the disorder.

Treatment for Sleep Apnea

If you suspect you have sleep apnea, your best bet is to see an ENT doctor, particularly one who specializes in sleep medicine. Your sleep medicine specialist will carry out a thorough evaluation to determine the culprit and devise an appropriate treatment plan, which will likely consist of any or a combination of the following approaches.

1. Lifestyle Recommendations

Obstructive sleep apnea can sometimes be treated successfully with lifestyle strategies, such as the following:

• Losing excess body weight
• Giving up smoking
• Avoiding alcohol, sedatives, and sleeping pills
• Changing sleep position – sleeping on your side instead of your back

2. Nonsurgical Treatment

The most common treatment for sleep apnea is the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. The machine creates gentle air pressure and delivers a stream of oxygenated air through a mask, which you have to wear during sleep, to keep your airway open and help you breathe normally.

If your doctor determines your sleep apnea is caused by a chronic sinus disorder or nasal allergies, they will likely prescribe medications (e.g., nasal sprays, oral steroids, and decongestants) to address the problem.

3. Surgery

If you can't tolerate CPAP or you have tried all conservative interventions but without success, your sleep medicine specialist will likely recommend surgery to address your problem altogether.

The following are some of the available surgical options for sleep apnea.

• Inspire Therapy – Inspire therapy is typically recommended for moderate-to-severe sleep apnea and for patients unable to use CPAP. It is an FDA-approved implantable device that delivers mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve (which controls tongue movement) to help keep the tongue in a position that allows the airways to remain open during sleep. The device only works while sleeping.
• Tissue Removal Surgery – Common tissue removal surgeries include tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, which involve removal of the tonsils and adenoids, respectively; or a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) to taking out the excess tissue in the back of your throat.
• Nasal Surgery – Nasal surgery encompasses a number of procedures done to remove obstructions in the nasal cavities.
• Turbinate Reduction – This is a minimally invasive, endoscopic procedure to reduce chronic nasal congestion caused by enlarged turbinates (tissue that projects from the side wall of your nose into your nasal cavity).
• Nasal Polypectomy – This is done to remove nasal polyps, which are a common culprit in chronic nasal congestion and sinus infections.
• Septoplasty – This is performed to straighten the nasal septum (the dividing wall between your nasal passages), thereby improving breathing.

Other surgeries to treat sleep apnea may include jaw repositioning, radiofrequency tongue base reduction, surgery to reposition the tongue and other soft tissues as well as nerve stimulation to control tongue movement.