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Sleep Apnea |
Sleeping Problems (Home) > Sleep Apnea > Sleep Apnea Treatment Sleep Apnea: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
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Random Sleeping Tip |
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| People have a lot of different positions that they sleep in. The position considered is sleeping on the back where this position allows all the organs to rest properly. You must not sleep on your left side because sleeping on the left side causes the stomach, spleen and lungs to press on your heart, therefore this position must be avoided. If you need to sleep on any side, then you must sleep on the right side. Another position that must be avoided is sleeping on your stomach because this causes pressure on the internal organs especially lungs that results in shallow breathing. | ||
A SleepStrip is a disposable screening device, which provides a single use test for sleep apnea. The device is worn overnight under the nose and records when the patient stops breathing. In the morning, the patient can see a score, which correlates well with a standard sleep lab Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI). The device is more accurate with patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) has also been linked to various serious cerebral vascular conditions, congestive heart failure, and premature aging.
If left untreated, Sleep Apnea can be life threatening. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) can cause people to fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as while driving, endangering their lives and the lives of their passengers and those around them.
Sleep apnea also appears to put individuals at risk for stroke and Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs), also known as "mini-strokes", and is associated with coronary heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, gout and high blood pressure.
Sleep Apneas and other obstructions of the upper airway may also be a cause of or may contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
There are a variety of treatments for Sleep Apnea, depending on an individual's medical history and the severity of the disorder. The available treatments are applied in this order:
Some individuals may need a combination of these treatments to successfully treat their Sleep Apnea.
are all that are required to reduce or even eliminate Sleep Apnea.
In some cases, weight loss can and will reduce the number and severity of apnea episodes. However, for most patients, being overweight tends to be an aggravating factor rather than the cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). In the morbidly obese, a major loss of weight, such as occurs after serious dieting and exercise, or after bariatric surgery, can sometimes cure the condition.
Some people are helped by special pillows or devices that keep them from sleeping on their backs, or oral appliances to keep the airway open during sleep.
If necessary, medications that relax the central nervous system, such as sedatives and muscle relaxants, can also be used in conjunction with these lifestyle changes.
If these conservative methods are inadequate, then doctors may recommend Physical Intervention, Medical Treatments, or even Surgical Treatments.
A treatment that is commonly used for mild or moderate Sleep Apnea sufferers is a Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS). This device is a mouth guard that is similar to those used to protect the teeth during sports. For apnea patients, the mouth guard is designed to hold the lower jaw slightly down and forward relative to the natural, relaxed position, and this position keeps the tongue further away from the back of the airway, allowing easier breathing during sleep. A MAS device is simple and user-friendly, and it may be enough to relieve mild apnea and improve breathing for some patients. However, for more effective treatments, one of the PAP treatments below may be required.
For moderate to severe Sleep Apnea sufferers, the most widely used therapeutic intervention is Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) whereby a breathing machine pumps a controlled stream of air through a mask worn over the nose, mouth, or both. The additional air pressure holds open the relaxed muscles in the airways and keeps them open to aid breathing.
These machines, even though they are based on air compressors, are extremely quiet.
While the face mask makes some sufferers hesitant to try these treatments, many patients find that the initial difficulty of adapting to the machine is quickly surpassed by the improved, deeper sleep that they obtain while using the machine.
In addition, the introduction of masks that resemble an oversized oxygen cannula have been better tolerated by some users. The vast majority of patients are surprised to find that they adapt to and tolerate the mask fairly easily, and quickly learn to sleep well while wearing it.
These treatments are often used with accompanying humidification, as some users experience a drying effect of the airway and mucous membranes. In some countries, such as the United States, the use of these machines require a doctor's prescription / authorization. Before this is granted, a sleep study is conducted to determine what kind of treatment is needed, and to determine the proper settings for the PAP device.
Only a few drug-based treatments of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are known despite decades of research and testing. They include the following:
When other treatments do not completely treat the Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), drugs are sometimes prescribed to treat a patient's daytime sleepiness. These range from stimulants such as amphetamines to modern anti-narcoleptic medicines., such as modafinil.
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