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Thursday, July 26, 2018

By Diane Rogers


When one is asleep and the airways are obstructed, a medical disorder known as sleep apnea occurs. This obstruction causes one to have difficulty in breathing. In one sleep session, one may experience obstruction in breathing up to several times. One cannot control this process because it takes place voluntarily. Treatment for sleep apnea will depend on the cause.

The condition can also be as a result of a problem with signals being transmitted or received in the brain. In such a case, signals which control breathing are not correctly transmitted or received in the brain. The most common type of sleep apnea is the obstructive sleep apnea which results from obstructed airways. On the other hand, central sleep apnea is the least common and is as a result of a signaling problem.

When one is experiencing this problem, they stop breathing momentarily until the airways are opened or the breathing signal is received by the brain. When normal breathing is resumed, someone usually snorts or takes a deep breath. Sometimes on may awaken completely with a sensation of choking, smothering, or gasping. If this condition goes on without being treated, the patient is likely to develop depression or heart attack among other conditions.

Treatment is determined by the cause of the condition and how severe it is. All treatment methods usually aim to make the breathing process normal again as one sleeps. There are several effects of normalized breathing including elimination of daytime fatigue. It also helps prevent cardiovascular changes resulting from strain caused by inadequate breathing.

The first step to treating this condition is to necessary lifestyle changes. Research indicates that this problem can be caused in large part by the kind of life one lives. Some of the life modifications that one needs to make include alcohol and smoking cessation, weight loss, and side sleeping. In some people sleep apnea only occurs when they lie on their back, but breathing returns to normal when they sleep on the side.

Such people should ensure they sleep on their side every time. Wearing special devices around the waist or the back to keep one from sleeping on their side is also a treatment approach. Research has concluded that positional therapy is efficient over a long period for one who is not able to wear CPAP.

Airways are usually blocked by excess tissue in the throat which as one sleeps usually collapses thus causing sleep apnea. The problem can also be dealt with through surgery to remove the excess tissue. Areas targeted during the surgery includes the soft palate and uvula, tongue, upper and lower jaw, and the tonsils and adenoids.

Before one undergoes this procedure, they should understand a number of things about it. To begin with, a surgeon should be asked about the rate of success of the procedure. One should also learn about the different treatment choices open to them and why those choices are not suitable in their case. However, one should also be aware of risks and side effects involved in the surgery.




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