The Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea

How can I tell if I have sleep apnea and how can I treat it?

Diagnosis
The typical patient with sleep apnea is an overweight middle-aged male with a neck size of more than 17 inches. However, the condition is also common in women and not all sufferers are overweight. Almost everybody who has sleep apnea is a snorer, often a very heavy snorer. Pauses in breathing during sleep are commonly noticed by a bed partner but this history is often lacking and up to five "events" per hour are considered normal.

One of the more consistent symptoms is "nonrestorative sleep" meaning that the patient wakes in the morning feeling unrefreshed no matter how much he slept during the night. Excessive daytime sleepiness is common in sleep apnea of any severity but some patients complain of fatigue rather than sleepiness. However, many patients with severe sleep apnea have no complaint of sleepiness or fatigue.

The most accurate diagnostic tool, polysomnography, can confirm the diagnosis and assist the doctor in identifying the type of sleep apnea present. In the past, this test was only done in hospitals and in specialized sleep laboratories. There are now portable sleep recording systems that can perform unattended polysomnography in the patient's home, but in-laboratory testing with a technician present remains the standard and is required by many insurers including Medicare before they will pay for treatment of sleep apnea.

With advances in portable electronics, patients can now use a small device called a pulse oximeter, which is attached to a fingertip to measure the oxygen saturation of the blood (percent of the total hemoglobin that is combined with oxygen). This non-intrusive monitor measures the difference in the color of the oxygenated and of the deoxygenated hemoglobins. Recordings of blood oxygen saturation during sleep may give an estimate of the severity of the problem although it's not been the most reliable screening tool.

Treatment
There are a variety of treatments for sleep apnea, depending on an individual’s medical history and the severity of the disorder. Most treatment regimens begin with lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol and medications that relax the central nervous system (for example, sedatives and muscle relaxants), losing weight, and quitting smoking.

Some people are helped by special pillows or devices that keep them from sleeping on their backs. Some cases are treated with oral appliances to keep the airway open during sleep.

If these conservative methods are inadequate, doctors often recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A face mask is attached to a tube and a machine that blows pressurized air into the mask and through the airway to keep it open. There are also surgical procedures that can be used to remove tissue and widen the airway. Some individuals may need a combination of therapies to successfully treat their sleep apnea.

In conclusion, sleep apnea left untreated can be life threatening. Excessive daytime sleepiness can cause people to fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as while driving. Sleep apnea also appears to put individuals at risk for stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs, also known as “mini- strokes”), and is associated with coronary heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, gout and high blood pressure.

Although there is no cure for sleep apnea, recent studies show that successful treatment can reduce the risk of heart and blood pressure problems.

Tips For Battling Sleep Apnea Disorder For All Ages

You have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. This is likely a scary time in your life, and you might not fully understand what you need to do to improve your condition and continue living a productive life. While this diagnosis can be debilitating if not managed correctly, there are things you can do to continue living productively and sleeping well.

Try playing a wind instrument. Playing the trumpet or a similar musical instrument should help you strengthen your throat and help you control your breathing. Your upper airways should become stronger and remain open throughout the night, which would make the symptoms of sleep apnea disappear or at least reduce them.

Quit drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Both of these habits are known to make your airway's muscles relax. This will increase your snoring as well as other symptoms of sleep apnea. If you avoid these things, it may help your sleep apnea.

Improve your sleep apnea by slimming down a bit. Recent research showed dramatic improvements in overweight men who shed 25 pounds over a period of one year to reduce sleep apnea symptoms. In some cases, the weight loss resulted in a cure of sleep apnea where no further treatment of the condition was necessary.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and prescribed a CPAP, work hard to get in the habit of using it every time you sleep. While it can be a struggle to get used to sleeping with a mask on your face, your health and your life depend on it. Work with your sleep center to get everything adjusted just right so that you can use CPAP therapy with a minimal amount of discomfort.

Try your best to maintain a regular sleeping schedule. When your body gets into a customary sleeping cycle, you will find yourself getting a better night's sleep, and you will also be more relaxed. Several studies have shown that apnea episodes decrease when a person is not sleep deprived or stressed out.

Everyone who snores does not have sleep apnea. Conversely, everyone who has sleep apnea does not necessarily snore either. How do you know the difference? The biggest signs are how you feel during the course of a normal day. Snoring does not interfere with the sleep quality the same way that sleep apnea does. With snoring you are less likely to suffer from fatigue during the day.

Try using a device made to eliminate snoring. Snoring happens when the airways are mostly closed but air can come though, and apnea is when the airways are completely closed. It actually makes sense that your device can assist with the latter if it can help you with the former. Your sleep apnea can be curtailed some with the use of an anti-snoring aid.

Eliminate or reduce your alcohol consumption to reduce your sleep apnea episodes. The relaxation that results from alcohol use can cause you to breathe less deeply and may also increase the likelihood that your upper airway will collapse. If you can't refrain altogether from alcohol, make sure that you don't drink for at least 3 hours before bedtime.

If you are searching for ways to prevent sleep apnea, try sleeping on your side as back sleeping lets gravity take over. This causes your tongue and other soft tissues in your throat to drop, which could obstruct your airway. Try putting a tennis ball in the neck of your pajamas to discourage rolling onto your back. You could even stuff a pillow with tennis balls and wedge that behind your back.

Having a basic understanding of your Sleep Apnea condition can help you in many ways. By taking some time to review the information presented here, you will better prepare yourself to continue living productively and enjoying a great night sleep. This makes the condition less debilitating, and it helps you to enjoy a higher quality of life.