Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Bare Essentials

Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition that is vast

, complicated and elaborate - many aspects of which may not be clearly understood by lay people. So if you have been diagnosed with this condition and are keen to have as much information as possible, without getting confused midway, this article may be what you need to read.

What is sleep apnea?

To understand obstructive sleep apnea, a type of sleep apnea, you might want to know what sleep apnea is all about. It is one of the worst types of sleep disorders, characterized by frequent and intermittent cessations in breathing, during sleep. A single pause could last for 10 seconds or more and in an hour, the victim may stop breathing 5 to 30 tomes.

While the most common type of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea, occurring when there is a complete collapse and blockage of upper respiratory tract, central sleep apnea, less common, happens when there is a lack of coordination between the brain and muscles controlling breathing.

Obstructive sleep apnea might take years to diagnose, as the outward manifestations of this condition happen only during sleep. Even then, there are some typical apnea symptoms that drive the patient to seek medical intervention. The characteristic apnea symptoms are: excessive tiredness during the day; rapid weight gain; breathlessness during sleep; loud and persistent snoring, etc.

Even after these clinical symptoms are reported doctors do an apnea test, known as polysomnogram examination to arrive at a final diagnosis. The apnea test can be done either at home or at any sleep clinic. The aim of this test is to study the sleep pattern including muscular tensions and movement; eye movement; breathing pauses, and so on.

Obstructive sleep apnea: the link between deviated septum and sleep apnea

Treating obstructive sleep apnea can be facilitated if the root cause behind the condition can be properly diagnosed. Neglected snoring is considered to be the prime reason for developing this condition. Of all the causes of snoring, deviated septum is perhaps the most common. Deviated septum results in one nostril getting narrower than the other forcing the victim to use the mouth for breathing. This leads to snoring, which when neglected can worsen to obstructive sleep apnea. This is the link between deviated septum and sleep apnea.

You also need to know about the close nexus between sleep apnea and weight gain. Apnea mostly affects obese people, and weight gain is one of the most indicative symptoms of the condition. Repeated interruptions in sleep also affect appetite, resulting in weight gain. Additionally, obstructive sleep apnea interferes with the production of two hormones Grehlin and Leptin, resulting in weight gain. All this goes to prove that sleep apnea and weight gain enjoy a very close relationship.

Obstructive sleep apnea: treatment

Doctors think surgery for sleep apnea, when none of the non-surgical or natural sleep aids can yield results and solve the patients persistent sleeping problems. Of all the surgical options, somnoplasty procedures are most preferred as these are minimally invasive and do not necessitate any hospital stay. Somnoplasty procedures treat deviated septum and clear the air passage of any obstruction in the least complicated and unobtrusive way.

by: Marc MacDonald

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