Maybe you wake up every night gasping for breath. Or maybe your loved ones or your spouse is irritated because of your snoring habit every night. It might be the butt of the joke at any family gathering. But do you know that snoring and feeling choked in sleep are the signs that you are suffering from sleep apnea?
Sleep Apnea is a Serious Condition
Sleep apnea is typically the stopping of breathing that happens involuntarily when a person is asleep. The word Apnea is Greek meaning “without breath.” Sleep apnea can be a serious problem if left untreated for a long time. While some patients only snore, others wake many multiple times at night gasping for breath.
Sleep apnea is a common disease and it affects around 22 million Americans. If it is left untreated, it can affect the patient in many ways. This might have consequences like:
- High blood pressure
- Heart diseases
- Stroke
- Automobile accidents
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Weight gains
- Memory problems
- Headaches
- Impotence
Generally, the majority of sleep apnea patients are men, over forty and mostly obese. However, sleep apnea can be a condition found in kids too. In any case, getting sleep apnea treatment Charlotte, Cornelius, Huntersville, Mooresville and Statesville NC is a necessary step for you the moment you notice the symptoms.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Even though the symptoms remain the same, you might suffer from three types of sleep apnea.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea: When you go to sleep, the rear tissues of your throat collapse and close as your body relaxes more and more. As a result, your airway gets blocked and creates obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea surgery for this condition is an extreme level of treatment and is generally avoided. However, this condition can be treated at a clinic for oral and facial surgery.
- Central Sleep Apnea: In this condition, which is less common than OSA, your airways remain clear but your brain fails to signal your muscles which can prevent you from breathing. In this case, too, you will wake up gasping for breath.
- Mixed Sleep Apnea: This condition is a combination of both of the above-mentioned conditions. In this case, too, the patient experienced poor quality of sleep.
Sleep Apnea Management
If you are consulting an oral surgeon in Charlotte, Davidson, Kenansville and Concord NC, they will use the following methods for treating this condition.
- The first step will be managing sleep apnea with a nasal mask and CPAP machine that will deliver pressurized oxygen for helping you breathe while sleeping.
- UPPP or UvuloPalato-PharingoPlasty is the most common type of surgery performed for this condition in your throat and palate.
- LAUPP or UvuloPalato-PharingoPlasty is done with the help of laser energy which tightens the palate for helping your breathing to be normal.
Apart from these, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon will suggest some immediate lifestyle changes that you should go for. Losing weight, sleeping on your side, exercising every day are included in these changes.
So, if you are suffering from sleep apnea or you are seeing any symptoms, then immediately talk to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon right away. Get the treatment faster so that your doctor can give you the suitable solution right away.
