Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
Sleeplessness, insomnia, snoring and daytime fatigue could all be symptoms of a sleep disorder one of which the most common is sleep apnea or sleep apnea snoring. Sleep apnea is characterized by breathing that stops for at least ten seconds several times at night. The repeated awakenings at night of sleep apnea lead to an increase in the incidence of auto accidents, heart attacks, stroke, and lowered daytime productivity. Should breathing stop for too long, sleep apnea can be life threatening and a tracheostomy may be required. Sleep apnea is a potentially serious condition that could be severe enough to possibly lead to death, and it requires prompt treatment to reduce the adverse side effects. Depending upon the severity of the disorder and its cause, tracheostomy might be required. A precise diagnosis to ensure that this is the best course of action must be made as tracheostomy is a major surgical procedure that is used as a last resort. It is not a surgery that is taken lightly or should be done needlessly.
The only way for sleep apnea and its severity to be diagnosed is for the patient to undergo an overnight sleep study called polysomnography. This is a painless, drugless series of tests that will tell the physician which form of disordered sleeping is being suffered. Breathing and heart rate, brain waves, and facial and eye movements as well as oxygen intake are measured through a series of electrodes and sensors that are placed on the body. These record the patient's data while he sleeps. There is nothing else that the patient has to do during the polysomnography. He will be advised to stay on a regular sleep schedule and to avoid heavy exercise and stimulants in the days leading up to the study. If the patient, after the first night shows signs of sleep apnea, a second night of polysomnography might be needed. During this second night, lung function and breathing rate are carefully monitored to determine which of the two main types of sleep apnea is occurring.
There are two main types of sleep apnea. The rarer of the two is central sleep apnea (CSA) which stops breathing at night due to a default of the brain to send the proper signals to the lungs to breath. Tracheostomy is not used for this form because the problem is not physiological. Obstructive sleep apnea is the more common form. It happens when soft tissues at the back of the throat block the airway and stop airflow to the lungs. There are several treatment options for this, most of which will be offered by a competent dentist, orthodontist or oral surgeon. Finding an oral health physician is important for the prompt treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, especially since treatment might require serious surgical procedures such as tracheostomy. An orthodontist, dentist or oral surgeon must be consulted first to try other remedies. A milder for of surgery might be all that is needed to correct obstructive sleep apnea, making tracheostomy unnecessary.
Mild to moderate sleep apnea is usually corrected through the fitting of a sleep apnea oral appliance by a dentist or through a mild surgery such as somnoplasty which removed the blocking soft tissues with a laser. A patient who is diagnosed with severe, life-threatening obstructive sleep apnea or does not respond to other forms of treatment is a candidate for tracheostomy. This surgery requires making an incision in the neck and inserting a tube that is kept closed during the day and opened at night to get air down into the lungs, past any obstruction in the mouth or throat. Tracheostomy is done in order to save the patient's life due to the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. As it saves a life, it will also change the patient's life, since he will have to care for and clean the tube daily to prevent infection. This is the most successful treatment for severe sleep apnea, especially if done by an experienced surgeon, and it will likely save the life of the patient.
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