How to Test and Treat Sleep Apnea?

Just like eating healthy food and exercising regularly is important, getting enough sleep is also critical for good health. A good sleep allows our body to get rest and restore energy, carrying out the important physical and physiological functions that might otherwise disrupt our physical and mental health.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a critical sleep disorder illustrated by repeated pauses in breathing for brief periods during sleep. Basically it has two types:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This is one of the most common types attributed to excessive relaxation of muscles at the back of the throat that may hinder upper airways either completely or partially. After a certain period of time, the demand for oxygen rises and the sleeper gasps or snores abruptly while struggling to regain normal breathing.

Central Sleep Apnea

This is far less common type as compared to Obstructive Sleep Apnea in which the airways remain open but chest muscles and diaphragm don’t receive brain signals to expand the lungs properly.

When to take a Sleep Apnea test?

Take an appointment with a sleep doctor or physician, if you develop symptoms like loud snoring with periods of silence (as observed by your sleeping partner) or day time sleepiness interferes with your daily routine and work. The sleep physician will ask you to take a sleep study test to diagnose the severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. A sleep study test is a painless procedure where parameters like breathing patterns, heart rate, oxygen levels in blood and limb movements are recorded at home or an accredited sleep center.

What Sleep Apnea Treatment you should adopt?

Once you have taken a Sleep study test, you will know the severity of your condition and on the basis of that you may choose a sleep apnea treatment and improve your life.

One of the most effective sleep apnea treatments recommended for treating severe conditions is Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). It is by far the most effective and widely used non surgical method where a mask is worn over the nose and air is forced throughout the night to keep the throat open.

Other methods that act as the simplest sleep apnea treatment are adopting few life style changes. These are:

• Losing weight. Even losing 10 percent of total body weight would likely to help.
• Try not to sleep on your back but on sides during the night. A tennis ball may be sewn in pajamas to prevent sleeping on your back as that position might encourage episodes of apnea in you.
• Avoiding smoking, alcohol consumption and medications that make you sleepy.
• Try not to eat heavy meals in the evening.

For those who are diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea, after a sleep apnea test, a custom fitted mouth pieces can also work. These are generally made and fitted by a dentist or orthodontist and these mouthpieces repositions the lower jaw and tongue to keep your throat open during sleep.

Surgery can also help improve the problem of Obstructive sleep apnea in many cases. However, it is performed only on those who have severe apnea and have not responded to other treatments. In surgeries, tissues might be removed and in some cases, tonsils and adenoids might also be removed.

During those gasps of sleep, either due to Central or Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the sleeper rarely awakes fully during night but tends to arise tired the next morning. This is because Obstructive sleep apnea prevents to achieve the deeper stages of sleep. This may also promote serious cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure. Hence, undergoing a sleep apnea test will ensure whether your problem is mild or severe and what Sleep Apnea treatment is needed to be adopted.