Snoring loudly due to difficulty breathing at night could be a potential indication of a serious health hazard. If left unattended, resultant conditions include heart problems and high blood pressure. A team of well-experienced experts in treating sleep apnea in Surprise, Arizona, is committed to offering therapies to avoid repeated stops in breathing at night. The condition often affects older men who are also overweight. Other effects can be tiredness during the day despite a full night’s sleep. For more information and consultations, call the office in Arizona or book an online evaluation today.
Sleep Apnea
It is a sleeping disorder characterized by recurrent interruptions in your sleep. The pauses during sleep last between 10 to 20 seconds, occurring even 100 times in an hour or the night. Inadequate oxygen supply while sleeping apnea occurs jolts you to awake. The episodes are often brief that you may not recall. Additionally, the perpetual disruptions in the normal sleep rhythm insinuate that more time is spent in light sleep and a little in deep sleep. Deep sleep is important as it is restorative and needed for mental sharpness, energy, and production the following day.
If left untreated, it can result in health problems like; hypertension, heart attacks, diabetes, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and stroke. It can also lead to impairments at work, automotive crashes, and other work-associated accidents. In schools, it can be the cause of underachievement in students and adolescents.
Types
There are three types, they include;
Obstructive Sleep Apnea manifests as recurrent episodes of partial or total upper blockage of the airway while asleep. During the apneic occurrence, the chest and diaphragm muscles chest and diaphragm muscles work harder as the pressure culminates to ensure the airway is opened. Normally, the brain jump-starts breathing with a body jerk or gasp. It can lead to poor oxygen flow to essential organs resulting in heart rhythm irregularities.
Central Sleep Apnea – in this instance, the airways are wide open, but there occurs failure in the brain to signal muscles to continue breathing. It happens because the respiratory control center is unstable. This type of apnea is associated with the functioning of the central nervous system.
Mixed or Complex Sleep Apnea – is a combination of central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea, though it rarely occurs.
Vulnerability
The condition affects nearly 10% of women and 25% of men. It can affect people of all ages, often those above 50 and who are overweight. Physical features like an enlarged neck, excess weight, and abnormalities in structure – reducing the upper airway diameter like the lowly hanging soft palate, nasal obstruction, small jaw, or enlarged nostril.
Causes
Obstructive sleep apnea – results from collapsing the soft tissue in the rear throat, blocking the airway. Central sleep apnea is seen in patients with dysfunctions in the central nervous system or neuromuscular complications.
Symptoms
- Cognitive impairment like forgetfulness
- Anxiety and depression
- Headaches and sexual dysfunction
- Dry mouth and sore throat when you wake up
- Perpetual nighttime awakenings or restless sleep
- Snoring, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness
Diagnosis
At Oasis Ear, Nose, and Throat, your provider may conduct a polysomnogram. Your electrical brain activities, breathing patterns, heart rate, and many more tests are done during the exam.
Treatment
Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP) Treatment – CPAP is a device using an airtight nosepiece and hose that ensures steady airflow while asleep. The pressure aids in keeping the airway open.
Mandibular Advancement Devices – assist in avoiding throat blockage by the tongue. An enhanced lower jaw forward can be created.
Surgery – individuals with deviation in their nasal septum or malformation in tissues causing obstruction can benefit from the surgery.
Therapies for underlying conditions, stopping smoking, weight loss can assist reduce sleep apnea. Call the office in Arizona or plan an online evaluation today and have your concern addressed.
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