Overview of Treatment for Sleep Apnea
Treatment for Sleep Apnea – Approximately one out of every 200 American citizens suffer from Sleep Apnea, and between 70% to 90% affected individuals are usually overweight and obese and are often middle-aged men. But at the same time, this condition may affect men and women of all ages, therefore it does not affect only a particular class or category of people.
Individuals suffering from sleep apnea usually have to face breathing problems while they are sleeping, and they might even stop breathing without even knowing about it several times during their sleep. During this period, the individual suffering from this condition also suffers from low blood pressure, and also seems to be trying to gasp for more air.
Sleep apnea is described by doctors as a medical condition during which the person actually stops breathing for a few seconds which results in the imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide inside his body. This imbalance causes a signal to be triggered inside the brain which results in the person waking up all of the sudden and start breathing normally again.
There are basically two kinds of sleep apnea, the first one is the obtrusive sleep apnea, in which the air is unable to reach the lungs due to a blockage while the person is sleeping; the second kind of sleeping apnea is the central apnea, in which the signals sent by the brain do not reach the lungs, and it is a very dangerous condition, and may even result in death if it is not properly treated.
The treatment for sleep apnea varies according to how complex the problem is itself, and the person’s own medical condition and age. There are two kinds of treatments, including the surgical and non surgical treatments.
Treatment for Sleep Apnea – How To Diagnose Sleeping Apnea
Before you begin the treatment of your sleep apnea, it is highly recommended that the individual suffering from this condition undergoes a test called polysomnography, which has been designed to diagnose the level of this condition, and record how many times this cycle repeats itself during the sleeping period of the person, and how long does it last.
Also the test has designed to check which stage of the person’s sleep the breathing problems take place, and the oxygen saturation is also measured. The condition of the person undergoing the test is also determined whenever he wakes up himself. Apart from this test, the physician will also base his treatment on the description given by the patient’s about his own experience with the condition, and he might be asked questions relating to insomnia like conditions, or feeling very sleepy during the daytime hours.
Moreover, he will also be checked for various other symptoms relating to sleep apnea including dry mouth and headache whenever the person wakes up, and whether he knew he was suffering from breathing problems while sleeping.
Treatment for Sleep Apnea – Treatment for Sleeping Apnea
If the person suffers from a mild version of this condition, the person is treated by changing the pattern of his sleep, by making his sleep on his side. Decongestant therapy is recommended for all those patients who suffer from nasal congestion and those who suffer this condition due to obesity, they are requested to undertake weight reduction exercises.
If the condition is quite serious, than Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure of CPAP is used to resolve this condition, and this involves the use of a small mask to regulate air passage in the person’s body.
A surgery known as Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty is performed on those patients who suffer from a more serious form of this condition.