Sleep Apnea Solutions

Sleep Apnea Therapy

2011-10-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Sleep apnea therapycan be done in various ways, generally dividedinto two major namely non-surgical and surgical therapies. This therapy aims to free up the airways in patients, since generally the main cause of sleep apnea is a narrowing/ blockage of theairways. The following will beexplained briefly about sleepapnea therapy commonly usedin the medical world.

Non-SurgicalTherapy

· Continuous positiveairway pressure (CPAP)

Is a tool commonlyused by people with sleep apnea, which serves toprovide air pressure through a maskplaced over the nose during sleep. The compressed air aimed at preventing thecollapse of the airway in thethroat. This prevents apneaand snoring. Most people feel awkward anduncomfortable when first usethis mask, sometimes it takes a while to be familiar with.

· Mouthpiece (oral device)or Inter-oral devices (IODs)

Another option is to use an oral devicethat is designed to keep the throat open. Oral appliances area successful alternative for a handfulof patients. Somedevices are designed to open the throat bybringing the jaw forward.Sometimes this can eliminate snoring and mild OSA.

· Stimulants

If the symptom of daytime sleepiness is verysevere, short-term dosage of drugs knownas stimulants maybe advisable. Stimulantswork by increasing the activity of the nervous system so that patients feel more alertand awake. A drug called modafinil may be advisable, while the side effects can includedizziness and blurred vision. But the long-term use of stimulants is not recommended since people can become addicted to it.

· Positional therapy

Most people benefit from sleeping position at 30degrees elevation of the upperbody. This helps prevent thegravitational collapse of the airway. A 30degree elevation of the upperbody can be achieved with the bedroom set, or wedge placedunder the bed mattress. This approach can easily be used in combination with othertreatments and are very effective for peoplewho are obese. Lateral sleepingpositions (sleeping on the side)is also recommended.

Surgical Therapy

The goal of surgery isto remove the excess tissue fromthe nose or throat that can vibrate andcausing snoring. The excess tissue may block theupper portion ofrespiratory tract and lead tosleep apnea. Severalsurgical approaches commonly usedinclude:

· Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty(UPPP)

UPPP is a procedure of removing tissue from theback of the mouth and upper throat, as well as the tonsils and adenoids. UPPP usually performed ina hospital and requires general anesthesia. The success rate of this method is only at30 to 50 percent.

· Jaw Correction

This procedure is usually called as Maxillomandibular Advancement (MMA). The purpose of this actionis to enlarge the space behind the tongue andsoft palate. Such surgical treatment is considered as one of the most effectiveway to treat sleepapnea due to a very high success rate.Generally, MMA is often performed along with Genioglossus Advancement (tongueadvancement).

· Implants

Implant procedure is a minimally invasive treatment. It involves the placement of three small polyesterrods in theceiling soft to prevent the collapseof soft palate. This treatment is only recommended for mild to moderatedegrees of sleep apnea.

· Laser Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty(LAUP)

LUPP is an activity removing tissue atthe back of the throat with a laser with radiofrequency. LAUP is indeed one ofthe cheaper types of surgery,but it goesstraight to the condition where it canonly reduce snoring and does not eliminate the sleep apnea itself.

Sleep apnea therapy is proven to alleviate sleep apnea ata certain level, but since it is difficultto cure sleep disorders,it is better for people with severedisorders to reduce their bad habits such as consuming alcoholic beverages.

Sleep Apnea In Children

2011-10-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

The experts stated that sleep apnea inchildren can indicate the likelihoodof children at risk for several serious healthproblems.

When children experience sleep deprivation, of course, can disrupt the child's daily routines, and so did withexcess sleep. Sleepapnea is a form of disruption that often occursin children. Thisdisorder is characterized by theloss of a child breathing momentarily during sleep. While not everyone who snores has sleep disorder, but snoring is a signthat most oftenoccur, and for those who suffer from sleep apnea also had difficulty breathing.

American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) informed that parentsneed to be concerned when theyhear their kids snore duringtheir sleep. Occasionally, upper respiratory tract infection can causeenlargement of the tonsils, thusblocking the smooth movement ofair passing from mouthand nose to thelungs.Excessive weight can also cause or increase the risk of children for having OSA(Obstructive Sleep Apnea).

Sleep apnea in children is generallycharacterized with signsor symptoms such as:

· Daytime excessivesleepiness.

· Thereduced of weight gain or very little improvement, if any.

· Breathing through the mouth.

· Enlarged tonsils.

· Sleepdisorders (do not sleep soundly).

· Cognitiveand behavioral disorders during the day, such as poor concentration, become aggressive andhyperactive.

If you suspect your child has the OSA symptoms, then you need to consult theENT specialist who has Otolaryngology subspecialist. If the symptoms persist until the end of childhood, his condition can cause increased blood pressure and the decline of academic values in schools.

How to handle it?

A doctor will examine ifand how a child has sleep apnea. Whenthe cause is being overweight or allergies, then the doctor will first address the main cause. Sometimes, the diagnosis of OSA is quite difficult to make and children also need to undergo some tests to see the cause of snoring. Generally this is done with Polysomnography (PSG), whichmonitors brain waves,muscle tension, eye movement, respiration / breathing, oxygen levels in the blood and audio monitoring(snoring, etc.) during sleep.

OSA or sleep apnea in children is oftentreated with surgical removal of tonsils. The other method is somnoplasty, namelylifting excessive throat tissue, byusing radio frequency waves to remove thetissue. Another method is laser-AssistedUvulopalatoplasty (LAUP).

If sleep apnea inchildren is still present after surgery, then the child needs help with a mask duringsleep,so as to accelerate theintake of air through the nasalpassages. This therapy is commonly referred to as nasal continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP).

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

2011-10-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition of cessation of breathing for a few seconds during sleep. OSA canoccur when theupper airway is closed while efforts to breathecontinue. Ingeneral, when we sleep, allin a state of relaxation / rest, hereincluded respiratory musclesfrom the tongue, palate especially the soft palate (soft palate) sothat the upper respiratory tractis relatively narrow.

Extreme narrowing of theairways due to various reasonswill result in disruptionof the air flow during sleep, degreesranging from the mildest to severe. Generally, narrowing ofmild upper respiratory tract is characterized by snoring during sleep, up to severenarrowing of the cessationof breathing during sleep (OSA).

After a few moments sleepwithout breathing (generally 10 seconds upto 2 minutes), thebrain responds to conditions ofoxygen deficiency in the bodywith awake / choking reflex which sometimes OSA sufferer himselfdid not realize it. These disorders can occur in such a weight (wakingmany times in one night) thus resulting in poor sleep quality.

OSA Symptoms

Symptoms are often experienced by patients with OSA isgenerally attributable to poorsleep quality, suchas:

· Excessivedrowsiness during the day

· Snore/ snoring duringsleep

· Stopbreathing during sleep

· frequentwaking during sleep due tochoking

Other symptoms which arealso associated with OSA include:

· Memoryloss / forgetfulness

· Decline inintellectual abilities (cognitive)

· Decreasedsexual desire

· Depression

· Headachesin the morning (after waking up)

The Cause of OSA

Most cases of OSAare believed to be caused by:

· Old age (natural orpremature),

· Brain injury (temporary orpermanent),

· Decreased muscle tone,

· Increased soft tissuearound the airway (sometimes due to obesity), and

· Structural features thatcause airway narrowing.

Diseases allegedly causedby OSA:

· Hypertension

· Coronaryheart disease

· Stroke

· Metabolicsyndrome (metabolic syndrome)

· Depression

Management of OSA

The purpose of handling / treatment of OSA wouldprevent the symptoms of OSA and the impact of OSAsuch as snoring itself, excessivedaytime sleepiness and prevent the continuedimpact of the body such as the risk of highblood pressure andother diseases. Management of OSA covers:

· Lifestylechanges including weight loss,exercises, sleep modification techniques (sleep facing side, raises a pillow), avoid smoking, alcohol, sleeping drugs and stress.

· CPAP (continuouspositive airway presure), is a device wornduring sleep where the function is to provide positive air pressure intothe airway during sleep, so there is no airway obstruction.

· Dentaldevices/oral breathing devices, whichaims to keep the airway open duringsleep by realignment the positionsof your tongue and chin.

· Drugs which help to keep awake during the day.

· Surgery

In general, doctors willperform the treatment depends on how severe the OSA is. Normally be advised inadvance to start with lifestylechanges and the use of CPAP. Before directly addressing the OSA, the doctor usually treat other health problems associatedwith OSA. For example if you suffer frominflammation of the nose (rhinitis) which causes blockage in the nasalairway, the doctor will add a treatment with a nasal spray (nasal spray) toovercome the disorder, or people with thyroid hormonedeficiency (hypothyroidism) then itwill be given medications to increasethe metabolism of these hormones.

Please note in general, that the management of obstructivesleep apnea in children andadults is no different. However in general the choice of tonsillectomy (tonsillectomy) with or without adenoidectomybecomes the primary choice in children as enlargement of thegland tonsil (palatine tonsila) is the majorcause of obstructive sleep apnea in children. The use of CPAP inchildren performed if the choiceof surgery is not possible.