Sometimes surgery is a viable option when all else fails. The specific goal of surgery is to “enlarge the airway and prevent snoring and airway collapse.” Surgery is “site-specific”, meaning that it pinpoints a particular area of the airway and makes it bigger. Nasal surgery poses as great a risk to health as any operation does, with the biggest concern being anesthesia. The greatest advantage of nasal surgery is that it often provides a permanent solution for the sleep apnea problem.

Septoplasty is one form of nasal surgery that is performed by way of the nasal passages. The septum is the piece of cartilage that divides the nostrils into two separate passages.  Those with a crooked (or deviated) septum can experience problems with their airways as it works as an obstruction to breathing. A septoplasty is undertaken by surgeons to correct this problem. How it works is that a tiny incision is made inside one of the nostrils and then the septum bone and cartilage are both straightened to do away with the problem.

Turbinate reduction is another form of nasal surgery. Each nostril contains three turbinates and they are the lower, middle and upper. Each turbinate is composed of bone that is encased by soft tissue and the purpose of them is to soak up the air that is breathed in and then warm and moisturize it as it required. When a turbinate is too large it can obstruct the airways. The nasal airway can work to its optimum best if an enlarged turbinate is made smaller surgically. The process of turbinate reduction can be done by way of lasers, a cautery unit, radio-frequency energy or surgical instruments.

Other types of nasal surgery include endoscopic sinus surgery and the removal of polyps from the nose. Sometimes the development of small growths in the nose called polyps can bring about obstructions of the airways. In other cases a succession of sinus infections can bring on nasal problems in the form of air obstruction. If either of these situations are the case then it is necessary for a patient to undergo sinus surgery or polyp removal surgery.

Upper airway surgery is undertaken for the purpose of “narrowing the upper part of the airway involving the soft palate, uvula, tonsils, or adenoids.” Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is undertaken when a patient has an elongated soft palate as well as an enlarged uvula. UPPP surgery is performed under general anesthesia and is done by way of conventional surgical instruments or a laser. What happens during the surgery is that the uvula is taken out and then the bottom edge of the soft palate is trimmed down as is necessary and then if the patient has tonsils they are taken out. Stitches accompany this surgery and most doctors use the kind that dissolve in the mouth.

Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) is used to treat not only OSA but consistent loud snoring as well. When it comes to this surgery the back edge of the soft palate is removed and the uvula is reduced in size. If the tonsils are part of the problem they are treated by way of a laser. LAUP is performed under local anesthesia in a doctor’s office. Most doctors use a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser to perform the procedure.

This is not a one-time thing. LAUP consists of anywhere from one to four treatments and takes approximately fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. Most patients need to continue treatments for anywhere from four to six weeks. It generally takes that long for there to be an improvement noted in symptoms.

Sleep apnea is a terrible sleep disorder which can have some very negative effects on your health and your quality of life. Sleep apnea can strike at any age, and it is a degenerative condition that will become more serious over time if left untreated. There are some things that you can do to lower your risk of sleep apnea; if you are high in risk factors, you may be setting yourself up for a terrible sleep disorder. In the following article, we’ll be discussing the various methods that people use to keep their risk factor for sleep apnea down.

1. Keeping in shape is of utmost importance. One of the main causes of sleep apnea is an excess of fatty tissue in the neck caused by being obese. This tissue can weigh down on the esophagus, causing an obstruction of the air way and consequently a case of sleep apnea. One way of diagnosing your need for fitness is to measure the circumference of your neck. If you find your neck to be in excess of 17 inches, a significant risk of contracting sleep apnea is present.
2. Using depressants such as alcohol or sleeping pills definitely weighs into a person’s chance of contracting sleep apnea. Alcohol and sleeping pills cause the muscles of the body to relax; this behavior includes the muscles found in the throat, and when they are relaxed, an air way obstruction can occur. For that reason, if you must drink, it is important to have your last beverage at least 4 hours before you go to bed. This gives your body a chance to process the alcohol in your system, leading to a lessened chance of snoring and apnea when bed time comes.
3. Smoking is another reason that people may contract sleep apnea. A person that commonly smokes usually has an increased amount of inflammation in the throat. Also, fluid retention in the upper air way is increased by a smoking habit. Both of these factors can add up to serious obstruction of the air way.
4. Some people that have sleep apnea only experience the problem when they are lying on their backs at night. To remedy this problem, a simple home project can be assembled to keep you sleeping on your side. Put a tennis ball on the inside of a regular sock, and pin it to the back of your pajama pants. When you roll onto your back in your sleep, you will be uncomfortable due to the tennis ball, and you will unconsciously correct yourself, causing you to roll back onto your side.

These are just some of the things to do when trying to avoid a sleep apnea condition. There are many other factors that weigh into sleep apnea, and some, such as a narrow air way or old age, are unpreventable. For that reason, it is important to get a proper diagnosis if you suspect that you may have sleep apnea. Speak to a health care professional to get a proper opinion.

While snoring is treated as a laughable condition by the general public, few realize the dangers that they may face if they have a serious snoring condition. When a snoring problem degenerates, it can turn into sleep apnea, a terrible sleep disorder that can cause numerous bad health effects. If you are a snorer, it’s important to find out whether or not you may have sleep apnea, as it is a treatable condition that, if left untreated, can be very damaging to your health. There are a few simple questions to ask yourself when you think you may have sleep apnea. Do you snore on a regular basis? If so, you are more likely to be afflicted with apnea. If your snoring wakes you or your partner up at night, the chance that you have sleep apnea is quite prevalent. One of the main warning signs for a case of apnea is waking up in the middle of the night, choking or gasping for air. This is due to the fact that apnea occurs when blockage in the air way occurs to such an extent that it causes you to actually stop breathing for periods of ten seconds or longer. A person with apnea can wake up a number of times throughout the evening, causing them to have a lack of good sleep and leading to irritability and an inability to concentrate when the morning comes. Severe cases of sleep apnea can result in the afflicted person waking up as many as 100 times per night. People afflicted with sleep apnea also often wake up with headaches due to a lack of oxygen, which is another symptom to consider. Rapid weight gain, memory loss, depression, changes in personality and a short attention span are other symptoms to watch for.

If these conditions sound all too familiar, you may want to look into the possibility that you have sleep apnea. One way to determine whether or not you may have apnea is to record yourself breathing while you sleep with a tape recorder. If you note frequent breathing cessations, you should consider going to a hospital for a polysomnography test. A polysomnography test consists of an overnight study in which your sleep is monitored, so that a proper diagnosis for apnea can be determined. It is a harmless test, and it is often covered by insurance carriers. Another method for pre-diagnosing sleep apnea in the household is to keep a sleep diary. Sleep diaries should be made by your bed partner, and they should consist of a notebook, pen, and flashlight. When your bed partner wakes up in the middle of the night, they should note some factors in your sleeping. They should record whether or not you are snoring, how loud your snoring is, whether you are asleep or not, and whether or not you are having trouble breathing. This simple notebook can really help you to see the extent of your problem. Sleep apnea, if untreated, can lead to an increased risk of heart problems and an increased stroke. That’s why it’s important to diagnose your problem today.

Sleep apnea is a problem not only for those people who suffer from it, but also those who live in close range. This is because it can be characterised by extremely loud snoring and accompanying snorts which ultimately cause anger and distress to those people who can’t sleep themselves because of the noise being made by the unfortunate snorer.

So what is sleep apnea or OSA

Sleep apnea is a distressing condition that many people suffer from though they may well be unaware of the fact. Basically the person goes to sleep, but the muscles in the upper part of the airway become very flabby and start to fall in on themselves. The person then cannot breathe properly and can actually stop breathing for a number of seconds before his brain kicks him into action by reminding him that he had better wake up or else. The person wakes up usually with a loud snore or snort which can be distressing for both him and his partner or even those who are within hearing range.

As this may happen quite a number of times during the night, the sufferer tends not to have a completed sleep pattern. This means he is drowsy and tired the next day, and a vicious cycle is set into motion.

The symptoms from Sleep apnea can range from being minor to quite relentless. If it is felt the problem should be controlled, there is an index which can be used to determine the severity of the problem. This is called the Apnoea/hypopnoea index and it is used to decide the severity of the problem. Hypopnoea is the reduction of airflow which is passing through the airways, and the index calculates the number of apnea attacks with the number of hypopnoeas per hour of sleep.  A scale is then used to determine the severity of the problem.

The Apnoea hypopnoea scale

An AHI of fewer than 10 suggests the problems being shown by the person who is snoring and snorting is not liable to have any clinical underlying problems. This is a good thing, because the person (or his family) can then start to think of other methods to stop the terrible din.

If the AHI is above 10, it is indicative of underlying problems, and it is suggested these are investigated further. These further investigations can include a specialist sleep study where the sufferer has to spend a night in hospital whilst special equipment is used to monitor the quality and type of sleep the person is getting. If it is found that he is being deprived of oxygen, it poses problems of Adult sudden death syndrome and also cardiac and stroke problems.
One way of combating sleep apnea is for the person who is suffering from the problem to wear an oxygen mask whilst asleep which will assist him with breathing.

Sleep apnea is no fun either for the people who suffer from it or their families who have to listen to the noise they make whilst asleep.

Sleep apnea is a very dangerous condition which, if left untreated, can result in such problems as high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes. For that reason, it is important to get the help you need if you are afflicted with sleep apnea. In this article, we’ll be discussing the various types of procedures that help people to rid themselves of their sleep apnea condition.

For those with a mild case of sleep apnea, there are some simple recommendations that can usually help the condition. For those that are overweight, losing weight is recommended. This is due to the fact that fatty deposits in the neck can be responsible for an obstruction in the air way. Some sleep apnea sufferers only face the condition when they are sleeping on their backs. For that reason, it is recommended that these people sleep on their sides. To keep yourself from rolling onto your back while you are sleeping, there is a simple solution. Put a tennis ball inside a sock, and pin it to the back of your pajama pants. This simple solution will cause you to be uncomfortable if you roll onto your back due to the tennis ball, and you will automatically begin to sleep soundly on your side. There are also mouthpieces that are offered to those with mild cases of apnea which promise to keep your airway unobstructed by either bringing your jaw forward, elevating your soft palate, or keeping your tongue from rolling back in your mouth.

If you are an individual that experiences a moderate case of sleep apnea, there are also treatment options available. The most commonly used treatment for moderate cases of sleep apnea is called CPAP. This stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, and is performed by the use of a device that keeps a steady stream of oxygen going into your airway while you sleep. A variation on the CPAP technique is the BiPAP. It features the same functionality as a CPAP, but it blows air into the airway at two different pressures, allowing for a difference in air pressure between inhaling and exhaling.

For more severe cases of sleep apnea that cannot be aided by continuous positive airway pressure, surgery is the most common option. Surgeries such as a tracheostomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, mandibular myotomy, laser-assisted uvuloplasty, and radio-frequency somnoplasty are among the more common procedures for sleep apnea. These various treatments address the different reasons why someone may have a case of obstructive sleep apnea. They involve various methods for clearing the parts of the airway that are obstructive to proper breathing while sleeping.

To find out what treatment is right for you, you should seek the advice of a health care professional. They are highly trained in this sleeping disorder, and they can help you to make the right decision when it comes to which type of treatment would suit you best. If a surgery is recommended, it is a good decision to get a second opinion before taking any drastic steps.

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that occurs when a person is unable to get oxygen into their system while sleeping. Periods of apnea tend to last 10 seconds or longer, and often leave the afflicted person waking up gasping for air. In this article, we’ll provide some statistics regarding this surprisingly common affliction.

1. Sleep apnea is prevalent in as many as an estimated 18 million Americans alone. This statistic denotes that approximately 1 in every 15 Americans, or 6.62% of the total American population have a case of sleep apnea.
2. Two to four percent of all Americans have an undiagnosed case of sleep apnea. This accounts for approximately 1 in 50 individuals being undiagnosed.
3. Research conducted at the University of California’s San Diego campus studied 54 African Americans and 346 Caucasians for the presence of sleep apnea. The results showed that a full 17 percent of African American test subjects had a case of obstructive sleep apnea present, compared to 8 percent of the Caucasian subjects. This denotes a hypothesis that African Americans stand an increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
4. More than 263,000 children per year undergo tonsillectomies. Most of these operations are performed due to the presence of sleep apnea in the children that is caused by the tonsils obstructing their air way.
5. People that are afflicted with sleep apnea face a steep increase in chances of being part of a traffic accident. Due to the sleeplessness and lack of ability to concentrate that are associated with apnea, sufferers are six times more likely to die in a car accident. As a matter of fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stated that drowsy driving is responsible for, at the very least, 100,000 car accidents, 40,000 injuries, and 1,550 deaths per year.
6. People that have an untreated case of sleep apnea face a risk of stroke that is four times as likely as those who are not afflicted. Untreated sleep apnea sufferers are also three times as likely to have heart disease.
7. A bed mate of a person with untreated obstructive sleep apnea can lose a serious amount of sleep! Due to the breathing and gasping of the apnea sufferer, the bed mate loses up to an hour per night of sleep. This was discovered when a study was conducted that measured the effects of CPAP treatment in helping the bed mate to sleep.
8. Roughly half of all hospital patients that have a case of hypertension are also afflicted with sleep apnea. Conversely, around half of all sleep apnea sufferers face a diagnosis of hypertension.
9. On the average night’s sleep, a sufferer of obstructive sleep apnea may experience 60 apneas per hour. This accounts for an average of 400 apneas per night!

As these statistics show, sleep apnea is not a problem to be taken lightly. The risks of mortality faced by those with untreated obstructive sleep apnea are simply not worth it when you consider all the types of treatment available.

It is believed among sleep specialists that nasal breathing devices are some of the most effective around for treating the symptoms of sleep apnea. While many patients do not enjoy wearing a breathing mask at night, many find it allows them proper rest and relaxation throughout the night and less chance that they will stop breathing many times throughout the night. One such mask that is getting a lot of attention is the personally molded sleep apnea mask. This mask is designed to be as comfortable and lightweight as possible. Let’s take a closer look.

The personally molded sleep apnea mask is equipped with nostril protrusions that are specifically “molded” to the shape that the patient’s individual nostrils are. This is considered to provide the first “barrier against leakage” in regards to air. The second “barrier of leakage” would be the sealing rings that go a step further and are designed to fit exactly both openings for the nostrils. The entire nose is also taken into consideration for the design of this special mask and this provides the third barrier against seepage or leakage of air. Finally there are extra sealing rings put in place that follow the proper line of the cheeks, lips and nose. These are considered to be the fourth and fifth “barriers against leakage.”

This mask is designed to fit a patient’s face as if it were a second skin. Much the way dentures fit a person’s mouth, this mask does not allow for any “air space between the mask and the nose.” The personally molded mask effectively keeps the nasal passages clear and open, allowing for the continuous airway pressure (CPAP) to do its job providing the nose with plenty of oxygen. This mask features over a seventy percent reduction in the noise it makes (known as transfer chamber volume) which helps ensure a quiet and restful sleep for both the sleep apnea patient as well as his or her bed partner.

But there are other advantages to this mask as well. The forehead and cheek sections of the mask help encourage a physical comfort level for the patient as well as aiding in CPAP being as successful as possible. It does this by way of being designed with a unique ventilated surface. The straps that connect the mask together are very lightweight, and in effect they are virtually featherweight as the sealing power of the mask is what gives it its level of strength. The original versions of CPAP masks made it necessary for patients to sleep on their backs, never having the opportunity to sleep on their sides if they chose to. The personally molded sleep apnea masks makes it possible for patients to do just that without worry of discomfort or causing the mask to come loose. The mask is compact enough that it easily lies between the patient’s face and pillow. The mask takes no more than ten seconds per night to assemble for sleep and it takes a mere four to five seconds to take it apart and clean it the following morning. There is no need to adjust or readjust Velcro straps as the traditional masks required. For this reason this mask is likely to have a long life if you treat it well.

The most widespread form of sleep apnea is known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obstructive sleep apnea is a “condition characterized by episodes of stopped breathing during sleep.” Sometimes this medical condition is referred to as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome or sleep apnea syndrome.

In most healthy individuals, the muscles that work the throat’s upper portion make sure that the flow of air into and out of the lungs is steady and continuous. During sleep these muscles relax slightly but still manage to do their job properly. However those who suffer from sleep apnea have airways that are much narrower and therefore when the muscles relax this causes the airway to partially or completely close up thereby no longer allowing for the passage of air to the lungs. Snoring and labored breathing leading to a sleep apnea episode will be the result of this happening. No air can reach the lungs at all when a total blockage takes place.

It is not clear to medical experts and researchers why in some people their breathing stops all together during periods of deep sleep (or REM sleep). These sleep apnea episodes (also known as apneic events) can last for ten seconds at a time and upwards in more severe cases. These episodes are followed by the person’s awareness that they have stopped breathing and a struggle to regain breath. This attempt to breathe again usually takes the form of gasping, choking or even snorting. Afterwards the person usually falls into a lighter period of sleep and then the pattern may begin all over again. The result is a person who suffers from sleep that is fragmented and doesn’t allow them the amount of rest they require on a nightly basis. This can lead to a host of health problems, one of which is excessive daytime tiredness. One of the reasons for the daytime symptoms is the fact that the oxygen level in the blood stream falls tremendously during an apnea episode. Hypoxia is the name given to the condition when a person suffers from chronically low levels of oxygen.

It is important to be aware that many individuals who suffer from sleep apnea are unaware of their problem. Often it must be something that must be seen by others and brought to their attention. These individuals are aware of how excessively tired they are throughout the daytime but don’t always know why.

The most common symptoms of sleep apnea include loud, habitual snoring, awakening in the morning and not feeling rested, headaches in the morning, problems with memory and attention span, changes in personality, falling asleep at inopportune times, high blood pressure, hyperactivity (in children only) and swelling of legs in severe cases.

A visit to the doctor and a total medical history is the first step to diagnosing sleep apnea in a patient. The doctor in particular will look over the patient’s neck, throat and mouth for any growths or abnormalities. If sleep apnea is suspected the physician will send the patient for a sleep study known as a polysomnogram (or PSG). This test records brain waves, eye movement, breathing rate, muscle activity, heart rate, oxygen levels in the blood and how much air is being inhaled and exhaled while the patient sleeps.

If you are suffering from chronic tiredness during the day, the chances are you are being deprived of sleep. The problem is that we become so used to this type of tiredness we often don’t realise how it is affecting our quality of life until we suddenly manage to improve our quota of sleep.

Sleep tends to be like money, the longer you go without an adequate supply of it, the worse your situation gets. Unfortunately many of us run up a “sleep debt” without even realising it.

Sleep apnea is one of the worst offenders for causing disturbed sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea (apnoea) or OSA for short is the interruption of air into the lungs whilst a person is asleep. This is usually caused by some kind of obstruction, and can be quite dangerous to the person who is suffering from it.

More often than not, OSA is a nuisance rather than anything else, but if the person who is suffering from OSA stops breathing for more than 10 seconds at a time and it happens more than ten times in an hour, this can give cause for concern and should be looked into further by your doctor or health care provider.

If you look at this type of sleep pattern, it is easy to see why the person who is suffering from OSA becomes lethargic and unwell. If his sleeping pattern is being broken to such a degree, then he is not falling into the deep natural sleep that is needed to rejuvenate the body and mind.

We need our sleep to stay fit and healthy and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea can cause serious disruptions. The reason OSA is so disruptive to our sleep pattern is because when we stop breathing whilst asleep, the brain gives us a nudge to wake up quickly. This often happens with a very loud snore or snort, so if this sounds a familiar problem with your partner or someone you know, it could be they are suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

It has been discovered that OSA only occurs whilst we are asleep. This is because it is a lack of muscle tone within the part of the airway that causes the problem. Due to this lack of muscle tone, the airway tends to collapse in on itself thus causing the problems of lack of breathing. The reason it doesn’t occur whilst we are awake, is because the muscle tone of the airways remains sufficiently toned to allow us to be able to breathe. However if a person has a significant problem, his breathing may sometimes become laboured whilst he is awake and at rest.

We may mock people who snore and snort loudly whilst they are asleep. We often get very exasperated with them, (especially if the problem is affecting the rest of the household).  However what needs to be realised is the culprit may well be suffering from a medical problem which could become potentially life threatening.

Sleep apnea is a problem characterized by the interruption of breathing during sleep. In Greek, apnea literally means “without breath”. It is a problem that can lead to some very serious health issues if left untreated. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. This problem is characterized by a blocking of the air way that allows us to breathe. Obstructive sleep apnea may be caused by a number of blockages; a large uvula, deformation of the jaw, excess weight, deformation of the nasal cavity and allergies are some of the more common reasons people experience this disorder. Central sleep apnea, the other type of sleep apnea, occurs when the brain’s breathing signaling goes awry, causing the afflicted person to stop breathing without any obstruction causing the problem.

A case of sleep apnea is diagnosed when a person is found to have periods of apnea lasting 10 seconds or longer frequently throughout the night. These apneas can cause the afflicted person to wake from sleep, gasping for air. People with sleep apnea often complain of sore throats due to the friction of the uvula and the soft palate that occurs when one experiences apnea attacks. While sleep apnea is usually accompanied by snoring, it is by no means necessary. Many people with sleep apnea do not snore at all. One of the main symptoms of sleep apnea is an intense daytime exhaustion persisting for a long period of time. This is due to the fact that people with this disorder wake up many times in their sleep, causing a lack of good, REM sleep. People with apnea also tend to experience headaches, trouble with concentration, intense irritability, forgetfulness, and anxiety. Weight gain is also common among apnea sufferers, as well as an increased heart rate and depression. If you think that you or someone you love is afflicted with sleep apnea, you can head to a hospital for a polysomnography test. This test incorporates a monitoring of a person’s sleep patterns, and is completely painless. Polysomnography is often covered by insurance carriers, so it can’t hurt to check. An overnight study is necessary, and the results of this study can greatly determine whether or not a person has apnea.

When a case of apnea is diagnosed, the most common treatment is called a CPAP. This stands for continuous positive airway pressure, and it is performed via an air compressor that forces air into the air way on a regular basis, ensuring sound breathing. In more serious cases of sleep apnea, surgery may need to be performed to eliminate any obstructions that may be causing OSA. If you think that you may have sleep apnea, it is important to get tested for it. Long term effects of sleep apnea include an increased chance of hypertension, irregular heartbeat, and strokes. Also, the chance of being in traffic accidents increases to 700% when untreated apnea is present. Treatment is possible for sleep apnea, so the quicker that you act the better.