Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS)

IV. “The National Institute of Health” suggests that Sleep Apnea should be treated with lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, breathing devices, and surgery. Goals of treating sleep apnea are to restore regular breathing during sleep and relieve symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness.

Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder where a person has experiences of not breathing during sleep. Over 20 million Americans, mostly overweight men, suffer from sleep apnea. Despite these numbers, sleep apnea is often not treated directly because its symptoms are thought to be those of depression, stress, or just loud snoring. There may be a genetic component to this disorder as it often occurs within families.People with sleep apnea stop breathing for at least 10 seconds at a time; these short stops in breathing can happen up to 400 times every night.

If you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea, then finding a treatment that works is important for your health. A sleep disorder impacts your life in a lot of ways. When you don't get restful sleep, you're more prone to have accidents and you may be groggy during the day. Apnea is dangerous because it restricts air movement and oxygenation. This strains your cardiovascular system when you sleep. There are different treatment choices for sleep apnea and some involve surgery. Here are a few things to know about having a sleep apnea procedure.

Custom fitted mouthpiece can be made to treat sleep apnea. They can also be used by people who loudly snores but do not have sleep apnea. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP is the widely used treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea. It uses a mouth or nose mask and attaches to a machine that blows regulated air to keep you airway open when you sleep. Surgery is also an option that can benefit some people with sleep apnea. Its effectiveness depends on a case by case. It is used to widen airway by shrinking, stiffening, or removing excess tissue in the mouth and throat, resetting the lower jaw.

Sleep apnea is a medical condition that should never be ignored. When a person suffers from this disorder, he or she repeatedly starts and stops breathing when they are sleeping, and this may occur hundreds of times each night. Sleep apnea comes in many forms, with the most common being obstructive sleep apnea. This type of apnea occurs when the muscles of the throat relax. A dentist may need to be seen to assist in the treatment of this condition, one which is often marked by drowsiness during the day and loud snoring at night. What do individuals need to know about this condition?

There are many people who struggle to sleep at night. One reason that they might struggle is because of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is defined as “a reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep” (Medicine Net; Nov. 2105). With the help of many types, treatment, medication, and devices changes your lifestyle Can help with sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep–breathing disorder characterized by momentary episodes of either complete breathing cessation for periods of ten seconds or more (apnea) or significant reductions in breathing amplitude (hypopnea) caused by a collapsed or obstructed airway; these two conditions can lead to hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in blood) and hypercapnia (high levels of carbon dioxide in blood). Patients are categorized as having mild, moderate or severe OSA depending on the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), which is defined as the total numbers of apnea/hypopnea episodes per hour of sleep. In normal individuals the index is usually 5 or lower, 5-15 in mild, 15-30 in moderate and 30 or more in severe OSA patients (1, 2). In patients with mild OSA the oxyhemoglobin saturation drops to 95% and can drop below 80% in severe cases. Obstruction of the airways results in greater breathing effort and fluctuations in intrathoracic pressure, resulting in arousal, sleep interruption and reopening of the airway (3).

Sleep apnea is characterized in a similar manner to hypopnea, a lack of airflow and oxygen levels at night whilst sleeping. However there are some key differences. Sleep hypopnea is a part of the obstructive sleep apnea family, and therefore has to deal with any obstructions that occur in the airways whilst sleeping (Phillips, 2015). Central sleep apnea, is another type of sleep apnea that can occur in people. This apnea is very different from obstructive sleep apnea. This apnea is caused because the brain temporarily fails to signal to the muscles that are in charge of controlled breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea is referred to as a mechanical problem, whereas central sleep apnea is referred to as a communication problem (Phillips, 2015). Central sleep apnea is much less common than obstructive sleep apnea and it can be caused by medical conditions that affect the brainstem. The symptoms of central sleep apnea are very similar to obstructive sleep apnea: stopping breathing or irregular breathing during sleep, shortness of breath leading to awakenings, chronic fatigue, excessive daytime drowsiness, morning headaches, poor/restless sleep, difficulty concentrating, mood changes, and snoring (Phillips, 2015). The treatment for central sleep apnea is by using a CPAP machine or a BPAP machine (which is very similar to a CPAP), certain medications have also been known to help stimulate proper breathing whilst sleeping (Phillips, 2015). Finally, the last kind of sleep apnea that can occur is complex sleep apnea. This type of sleep apnea is a mixture of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Essentially, this type of apnea occurs because of slight obstruction and the brain failing to properly inform the muscles to breathe (Phillip, 2015). BPAP machines and Adaptive servo ventilators “have shown successful use as the machines are capable of performing a

Dr. Duffield and his team can also offer you an oral device to help treat your sleep apnea. This device can be used with a CPAP machine or on its own. Because of the inconvenience of CPAP machines, many patients who visit our office are looking for an alternative treatment option for their sleep apnea. Our oral devices simply sit in your mouth and are designed to temporarily adjust the jaw to allow the airways to remain open. These devices are much easier to get used to than CPAP machines and typically offer a greater chance that the patient actually maintains treatment over a period of

According to Dr. Jamison of Sleep Medicine Associates of Texas, CPAP remains the predominant therapy for obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is when someone is experiencing episodes of cessation of breaths during sleep because of their upper airway relaxing and obstructing air flow during sleep. The episodes usually last for ten seconds or greater and is usually accompanied with a decreased oxygen saturation. Although the airway is relaxed and obstructing airflow, the body (brain) is still attempting to breathe. When breathing has resumed from its apneic state, there is usually a loud gasping snore and or body jerking which can lead to restless sleep for the person with OSA and their partner. According the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute more than twelve million people in the United States have this clinical disorder. People who have OSA may be sleepy in the day and experience subsequent disorders such as oxyhemoglobin desaturation, pulmonary hypertension, right-sided heart failure, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction and diabetes. Proper diagnosing and treatment of a person with OSA can yield optimal results thereby improving quality of life.

The most common form of therapy for those struggling with moderate to severe apnea is positive airway pressure or PAP. PAP is a non-invasive form of treatment where a machine delivers a consistent flow of air through a mask worn while sleeping. Air pressure is determined by a sleep technician during an overnight sleep

One nice thing about UARS is that the treatment methods for it and sleep apnea are essentially the same. The most commonly prescribed treatment for both is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP machines.

CPAP therapy is been considered as the most common effective treatment for sleep apnoea in adults. A CPAP is a machine which uses a mask that fits over the throat. It gently blows air into the throat and the pressure from the air helps to keep the airway open while asleep (Moses, n.d). However, some patients of sleep apnoea still find it uncomfortable with CPAP therapy so they tend to use oral appliance therapy as it has aside effect which causes dry mouth, but it comes with a humidifier which adds moisture to the air as it flows and also used for patients with mild to moderate sleep apnoea who do not respond to CPAP therapy (Downey, 2014). Therefore, the use of CAP therapy as a treatment for sleep apnoea seems to be effective for moderate to severe sleep apnoea.

Another cause is excessive use of sleep aids. This type of medication relaxes the individual so he/she may sleep more comfortably. It must be first diagnosed what is causing the sleeplessness or insomnia. Once this is determined, it is possible to treat this without the use of sleep aids and eliminate snoring all together. In the case of sleep apnea it is extremely important to avoid using sleep aids and/or excessive and continued consumption of