An Effective Treatment For Sleep Apnea

A lot of people suffer through or have to deal with sleep apnea or excessive snoring. Of course, these same people are also the ones hoping to eliminate it forever. Which treatment for sleep apnea is prescribed is based completely on the physician's assessment of each person's particular condition.

Sleep apnea is though to impact one in 200 people in the United States. 70% to 90% of the people who suffer from sleep apnea are older men or people who are excessively overweight. But, sleep apnea does not only affect these people, it can also affect people of any age at all.

Those who suffer from sleep apnea might quit breathing when they are asleep, up to 100 times, and they never are aware of it. At any point when breathing stops, the sufferer could suffer from low blood pressure. The person might also appear to struggle to take a breath. There are even worse circumstances when people with sleep apnea have even more breathing problems than a less severe case. In this instance, that person could possible be in grave danger.

A treatment for sleep apnea cannot be prescribed until a sufferer is given a polysomnography. A polysomnography is an exam designed to find out if there is an obstruction, determine how many times the person stops breathing and for how long, find out when breathing stops as the person sleeps, and see how the person is when he or get wakes up.

In addition to the outcome of the polysomnography, a physician will choose a treatment that is congruent with the sufferer's particular complaints. The physician could question the sufferer about the times when he or she cannot fall asleep, and how tired he or she is when awake. The person could also be questioned about conditions like dry mouth, headaches, and whether or not the patient knows he or she is having trouble breathing when he or she is asleep.

If the condition is not severe, the sleep apnea can typically be resolved by having the sufferer sleep on one side of the body or the other. If the sufferer is also dealing with a stuffy nose, the physician could also suggest the use of a decongestant. If the sufferer is excessively overweight, a diet will be required.

If the situation is severe, a sleep apnea treatment known as CPAP will be prescribed. CPAP is short for continuous positive airway pressure. A mask is worn that is hooked up to an air regulator to make sure the nasal passages remain open.

Finally, for the most dire cases, which represents 10% of all sufferers, the sleep apnea can only be resolved through a surgical procedure. A bit of tissue is taken off of the soft palate and rear portion of the throat to allow more air to get through.