Sleep apnea: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

 


Sleep apnea is a potentially severe sleep condition characterized by recurrent interruptions in breathing during the night. If you snore loudly and experience persistent fatigue, you could be dealing with sleep apnea. Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea are two types of this condition.

Below, the best ENT specialist in Thakurpukur has discussed the symptoms, causes and treatment options available for both types of sleep apnea. 

Symptoms

Central and obstructive sleep apnea sometimes exhibit similar signs, which makes differentiating the two difficult. Below, we have enlisted some of the common symptoms:

  • Loud snoring
  • Difficulty in breathing during sleep
  • Waking up with headaches
  • Having a dry mouth 
  • Insomnia 
  • Excessive drowsiness during the daytime, also called hypersomnia
  • Difficulty in concentrating 

Causes 

Obstructive sleep apnea

In this form of sleep apnea, the relaxation of the throat muscles causes a constriction or closure of your airway when you inhale during sleep. This obstruction results in insufficient air intake, leading to decreased oxygen levels in your blood. As a result, people who experience this condition have difficulty in getting sound sleep. 

Central sleep apnea

This rarer variety of sleep apnea takes place when your brain does not transmit signals to your respiratory muscles. Consequently, a person wakes up with breathlessness or experiences problems when trying to fall asleep.

Treatment

ENT doctors in Thakurpukur recommend the following treatment options:

  • Surgery: Surgical procedures can be done on your nose, mouth, and throat to prevent obstructions in these areas, ensuring a clear airway. Some surgeries for addressing sleep apnea include somnoplasty, tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy (removing tonsils and adenoids), and jaw surgery.
  • Positive airway pressure and adaptive ventilation devices: This effective technique employs a device to raise the air pressure in your breathing passage. 
  • Oral appliances (mouthpieces): These devices hold the jaw and tongue in a way that prevents one's windpipe from getting blocked. 
  • Nerve stimulators: A nerve stimulator connected to the hypoglossal nerve prevents the tongue from blocking the windpipe during sleep, thus helping a person get undisturbed sleep. 

A similar nerve stimulation can also work for central sleep apnea. In this case, it involves the phrenic nerves, which connect your spinal cord to the diaphragm. Stimulating the phrenic nerve makes these muscles contract, assisting in your breathing. 

If you are experiencing the aforementioned symptoms, you might have sleep apnea. Hence, consult an ENT specialist for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

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