Diagnosis & Surgery For Snoring & Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Diagnosis & Surgery for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleeping. It's the most common respiratory issue that occurs during sleep. When the muscles that support your throat's soft tissues, such as your tongue and soft palate, relax, OSA develops.
As a consequence, your airway narrows or even shuts, temporarily preventing you from breathing. It is advised that you find a sleep apnea specialist as soon also possible.
Obstructive sleep apnea symptoms:
Those who suffer from Obstructive sleep apnea may experience the following symptoms:
- Snoring with a high decibel level
- Gasping
- Suffocation
- Snorting
- Breathing disruptions when sleeping
- Headaches in the morning
- Being dissatisfied or grumpy
- Inability to remember
- Sleepiness
- Waking up several times throughout the night
- Children's hyperactivity
- Depression worsening
- Employment and school performance issues
- A lack of sexual interest
Apart from this, due to lack of proper sleep depth at night, there is a sensation of sleep deprivation in the day. This can be life threatening for those who need to drive, or work on heavy machinery as there is a higher chance of motor vehicle accidents in such people than even those who are under the influence of alcohol.
Moreover, people with obstructive sleep apnea have a higher chance of heart disorders and brain strokes than the general population.
What is the procedure for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea?
A comprehensive history and physical examination are required to diagnose sleep apnea. Sleepiness and snoring during the day are major indicators.
For obstructive sleep apnea treatment, the surgeon checks your head and neck to look for any physical issues that might be causing your sleep apnea.
A questionnaire on daytime tiredness, sleep patterns, and sleep quality may be requested by your doctor.
Polysomnography:
You are linked up to equipment overnight that monitors your heart, lung, and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels as you sleep during this sleep study. This can be done at the best sleep study center in your area or even at your own home. Nowadays, an advanced study called WatchPAT sleep study testing is done where a device is placed in the form of a watch with a couple of high end sensors that do a similar job in a less bothersome way.
How to manage snoring?
A healthy lifestyle is important. Adequate weight control and exercise is advised. Minor procedures for sleep with advanced surgical technology like coblation and radiofrequency help in stiffening of palate, tongue and in reduction of obstruction of nose and significantly improve the snoring.
How to manage obstructive sleep apnea?
As with snoring, a healthy lifestyle is important. If overweight, a nutritionist will guide you for an adequate diet and how to lose those extra kilos. Exercise helps in toning up of the body and significantly affects apnea directly and also is helpful if surgery is chosen as an option.
Non surgical option of managing obstructive sleep apnea
A device called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine or CPAP machine for short, is helpful in few people. It is a small portable device, which with the help of a mask which is worn in the night before going to bed, opens up the obstructions to breathing while sleeping using positive airway pressure. The mask is either a nose mask or a full face mask. Multiple options of device like BIPAP, or APAP are available which differ in their features and capabilities.
Surgical procedures for managing obstructive sleep apnea
Before planning for surgery for OSA, a preliminary investigation is done. This is called Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy or DISE. It is carried out in a hospital operating room in controlled conditions. The patient is put to sleep with medications and a thin fiber-optic endoscope is used to assess the level of obstruction during sleep. This helps in careful planning of surgical procedures. This study can be done separately or combined with any of the following mentioned surgical procedures.
Surgery is normally chosen only after other treatments have not yielded desired results or are no longer an option for you. Among the surgical possibilities are:
Tissue removal surgery:
The operation known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) involves your doctor removing tissue from the back of your mouth and the top of your throat. The coblation surgery of adenoids and tonsils may also help.
Stimulation of the upper airways:
The novel gadget is licensed for use in persons who have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea and are unable to tolerate CPAP or BIPAP.
Maxillomandibular advancement surgery (jaw surgery):
The top and lower sections of your jaw are shifted forward from the rest of your facial bones during this treatment. This increases the amount of space between the tongue and the soft palate, reducing the likelihood of blockage. Nasal septum surgery is also an effective alternative.
Consult with the best sleep center or the best sleep surgeon in your area for a overall evaluation and management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
