What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea has many possible reasons. In adults, the most frequent cause of OSA is excess obesity and weight, which is connected with the soft tissue of the mouth and throat. During sleep, when throat and tongue muscles are more relaxed, this soft tissue causes the airway to become blocked.

Consequences of Sleep Apnea: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, automobile accidents caused by falling asleep at the wheel, diabetes, depression, and other ailments.

What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

The primary symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Daytime fatigue
• Feeling of non-restorative sleep
• Headache in the morning
• Poor mental concentration
• Difficulty concentrating
• Loud snoring
• Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat
• Making frequent trips to the bathroom during the night

What are the Risk Factors of Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea has many possible reasons. In adults, the most frequent cause of OSA is excess obesity and weight, which is connected with the soft tissue of the mouth and throat. During sleep, when throat and tongue muscles are more relaxed, this soft tissue causes the airway to become blocked.

Sleep apnea mainly occurs in overweight or obesity. However, sleep apnea occurs in slim people, as well. General risk factors for sleep apnea are:

• Excess weight – If a person is overweight and has a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more, then they have a higher risk of sleep apnea.
• Middle age – Sleep apnea can occur at any age. Mainly Sleep apnea occurs in young adulthood and middle age
• Large neck size – If you have a neck size of 16 inches or more for women and 17 inches or more for men. A large neck has a higher rate of soft tissue, which blocks the airway during sleep.
• Hypertension – High blood pressure is prevalent in people who have sleep apnea disorder.
• Male gender – Sleep apnea is more prevalent in men than in ladies. For women, the risk of sleep apnea raises with menopause.
• Family history – Sleep apnea is a heritable situation, which means that you or family members have a higher risk of having sleep apnea. Inherited characteristics that increase the risk of sleep apnea include obesity and physical features.

How is sleep apnea diagnosed?

We at Ashraya Hospital have the best board-certified sleep medicine physician who can diagnose obstructive sleep apnea using an in-lab sleep study and home sleep apnea test. We provide the best Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Treatment near Hinjawadi Rd, Pune. Our physician tries to determine the cause of disorder whether it is because of overweight or lack of exercise, or if there is something else that is causing your sleep problems or making the symptoms worse, such as another sleep disorder, or mental health disorder, or medical condition, or medication use, or substance abuse.

How is sleep apnea treated?

Sleep apnea is a critical sleep disorder that needs to be treated. Ashraya Hospital best board-certified sleep physician can help you select a treatment plan that is right for you. Some of the sleep apnea treatment are:

• CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure):-CPAP is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. CAPA is a machine that uses a constant flow of air to gently keep your airway open for the duration of the night so you can sleep properly. You lay down with a mask with a hose that is joined to a machine kept at the bedside. Machines and masks may shift contingent upon your treatment and comfort needs. CPAP is the bleeding edge treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and is suggested for all cases.
• Oral Appliance Therapy:- An oral machine is a device that fits in your mouth over your teeth while you rest. It might take after a game’s mouth protection or an orthodontic retainer. The device keeps the airway from crumbling by holding the tongue in position or by sliding your jaw forward with the goal that you can inhale when you are sleeping. A few patients incline toward laying down with an oral apparatus to a CPAP machine. A dental specialist prepared in dental rest medicine can fit you with an oral apparatus after you are determined to have sleep apnea. Oral machine treatment is prescribed for patients with mellow to direct apnea who can’t tolerate CPAP
• Surgery:- Surgical therapies are not as compelling as CPAP and oral apparatuses. There are many surgical options you can choose to have if CPAP or oral appliance therapy does not work. The most common options are to eliminate the extra tissue in your throat that collapses and blocks your airway during sleep. More complicated procedures include adjusting your bone structures like jaw, nose, facial bones or weight loss surgery.
• Weight Management:- Weight loss can help improve or reduce your sleep apnea signs if you are overweight. Overweight people often have thick necks with excess tissue in the throat that blocks the airway. Although no guarantee that losing weight will eliminate your sleep apnea, though it may help. This method is unlikely to make a difference in patients with a narrow airway.
• Positional Therapy:- Positional therapy is a behavioral strategy to manage positional sleep apnea. Some people have sleep apnea originally when sleeping on their back, called a “supine” position. Patient breathing returns to normal when they sleep on their side. Positional therapy involves wearing a special device around your back or waist, which helps you in sleeping on the side position. Another alternative is a small device that uses “vibrotactile feedback” technology. Worn on the rear of the neck, it delicately vibrates when you begin to rest on your back. Without awakening you, the vibration alarms your body to change positions. Positional treatment can be utilized alone or together with another sleep apnea treatment.
• Lifestyle Changes:- There are many lifestyle changes that you can implement in your daily life to help you reduce snoring and improve sleep apnea symptoms. Changes such as quitting alcohol, smoking may improve sleep apnea symptoms. If the patient has allergies, taking a decongestant before going to bed may help improve airflow through the nose.

Traditional ways to cures sleep apnea:

Some of the Traditional treatments for sleep apnea include: 

• Wearing a CPAP mask at night.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Practice daily yoga.
• Alter sleep position.
• Use a humidifier.
• Avoid alcohol and smoking.
• Use oral appliances.

If you are suffering from sleep apnea or have sleeping issues, visit us at Ashraya Hospital, where our physicians provide the best sleep apnea treatment in the Pune area.