Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder affecting about 18 million Americans that has the potential for serious, and even fatal complications.

Sleep Apnea is a progessive condition (gets worse as you age) and should not be taken lightly.

Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by a reduction or cessation (pause of breathing, airflow) during sleep. It is common among adults but rare among children. There are two types of sleep apnea, the more common obstructive sleep apnea and the less common central sleep apnea, both of which will be described later in this article.

Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by episodes of stopped breathing during sleep.

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times.

The apnea-hypopnea index, like the apnea index and hypopnea index, is calculated by dividing the number of apneas and hypopneas by the number of hours of sleep. Another index that is used to measure sleep apnea is the respiratory disturbance index (RDI).

Sleep apnea means “cessation of breath.” It is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation.

In a patient with high blood pressure, stroke, daytime sleepiness, ischemic heart disease (low flow of blood to the heart), insomnia, or mood disorders’all of which can be caused or worsened by sleep apnea-sleep apnea is defined as an apnea-hypopnea index of at least 5 episodes/hour. This definition is stricter because the patient may be already experiencing the negative medical effects of sleep apnea, and it may be important to begin treatment at a lower apnea-hypopnea index.

The most common kind of sleep apnea is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

An apnea is a period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced.

The most common treatment and arguably the most consistently effective treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure ( CPAP ) device, which’splints’ the patient’s airway open during sleep by means of a flow of pressurized air into the throat. However the CPAP machine only assist inhaling whereas a NIPPY machine assists with both inhaling and exhaling, and is used in more severe cases.

Central apnea occurs when the part of the brain that controls breathing doesn’t start or properly maintain the breathing process. In very premature infants, it’s seen fairly commonly because the respiratory center in the brain is immature. Other than being seen in premature infants, central apnea is the least common form of apnea and often has a neurological cause.

Clinically significant levels of sleep apnea are defined as five or more episodes per hour of any type of apnea (from the polysomnogram).

Sleep apnea often results in feelings of fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness, since the ability to reach deep, restorative sleep stages is impaired. Other warning signs of sleep apnea are often noticed by bed partners and include loud snoring and making snorting or choking sounds at night. Those affected may experience awakening with brief periods of shortness of breath.

Older obese obese men seem to be at higher risk, though as many as 40% of people with obstructive sleep apnea are not obese.

The central apneas may in fact be secondary to sleep fragmentation during the titration process. As of July 2007, there has been no alternate convincing evidence produced that these central sleep apnea events associated with CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea are of any significant pathophysiologic import.

A common type of apnea in children, obstructive apnea is caused by an obstruction of the airway (such as enlarged tonsils tonsils and adenoids adenoids ). This is most likely to happen during sleep because that’s when the soft tissue at back of the throat is most relaxed.

After the episode of apnea, breathing may be faster (hyperpnea) for a period of time, a compensatory mechanism to blow off retained waste gases and absorb more oxygen. Longstanding recurrent episodes of apnea, over months and years, may cause an increase in carbon dioxide levels that can change the pH of the blood enough to cause a metabolic acidosis. Blood levels of carbon dioxide, and the neurological feedback mechanism that monitors it does not react quickly enough to maintain an even respiratory rate, with the entire system cycling between apnea and hyperpnea, even during wakefulness. The muscle tone of the body ordinarily relaxes during sleep and at the level of the throat the human airway is composed of collapsible walls of soft tissue which can obstruct breathing during sleep. Mild, occasional sleep apnea, such as many people experience during an upper respiratory infection may not be important, but chronic, severe obstructive sleep apnea requires treatment to prevent sleep deprivation and other complications. Many drugs and agents used during surgery to relieve pain and to depress consciousness remain in the body at low amounts for hours or even days afterwards. In an individual with either central, obstructive or mixed sleep apnea, these low doses may be enough to cause life-threatening irregularities in breathing. Use of analgesics and sedatives in these patients postoperatively should therefore be minimized or avoided.

Even in severe cases of central sleep apnea, the effects almost always result in pauses that make breathing irregular, rather than cause the total cessation of breathing. Fortunately, central sleep apnea is more often a chronic condition that causes much milder effects than sudden death. The immediate effects of central sleep apnea on the body depend on how long the failure to breathe endures. In central sleep apnea, the effects of sleep alone can remove the brains’ mandate for the body to breathe. The cessation of airflow in central sleep apnea has an association with no physical attempts to breathe. Breathing is interrupted by the lack of respiratory effort in central sleep apnea; in obstructive sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort. The presence of central sleep apnea without an obstructive component is a common result of chronic opiate use (or abuse), due to the characteristic respiratory depression caused by large doses of narcotics. The most common treatment and arguably the most consistently effective treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure ( CPAP ) device, which’splints’ the patient’s airway open during sleep by means of a flow of pressurized air into the throat. However the CPAP machine only assist inhaling whereas a NIPPY machine assists with both inhaling and exhaling, and is used in more severe cases. Patients with complex sleep apnea exhibit OSA, but upon application of positive airway pressure, the patient exhibits persistent central sleep apnea. This central apnea is most commonly noted while on CPAP therapy, after the obstructive component has been eliminated. This has long been seen in sleep laboratories, and has historically been managed either by CPAP or BiLevel therapy. Adaptive servo-ventilation modes of therapy have been introduced to attempt to manage this complex sleep apnea. The management of obstructive sleep apnea was revolutionized with the introduction of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), first described in 1981 by Colin Sullivan and associates in Sydney, Australia.

Sometimes, elevated arterial pressure (commonly called high blood pressure ) is a sequela of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. When obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is severe and longstanding, episodes of central apnea sometimes develop. The exact mechanism of the loss of central respiratory drive during sleep in OSA is unknown, but is most commonly related to acid-base and CO 2 feedback malfunctions stemming from heart failure. The early reports of obstructive sleep apnea in the medical literature described individuals who were very severely affected, often presenting with severe hypoxemia, hypercapnia and congestive heart failure. Tracheostomy was the recommended treatment and, though it could be life-saving, post-operative complications in the stoma were frequent in these very obese and short-necked individuals. This section summarizes the clinical picture and consequences of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. As already mentioned, snoring is almost a uniform finding in an individual with this syndrome, but many people snore without having apnea. Even the loudest snoring does not mean that an individual has sleep apnea syndrome.

In central sleep apnea, the basic neurological controls for breathing rate malfunctions and fails to give the signal to inhale, causing the individual to miss one or more cycles of breathing. Regardless of type, the individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body ( sequelae ). Obstructive sleep apnea shows pauses in breathing for at least 10 seconds causing a decrease in blood oxygen and associates with physical attempts to breathe.

Polysomnography of sleep apnea shows pauses in breathing that are followed by drops in blood oxygen and increases in blood carbon dioxide.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common category of sleep-disordered breathing. Adults suffering from congestive heart failure are at risk for a form of central sleep apnea called Cheyne-Stokes respiration. This is periodic breathing with recurrent episodes of apnea alternating with episodes of rapid breathing. In those who have it, Cheyne-Stokes respirations occur while both awake and asleep. There is good evidence that replacement of the failed heart ( heart transplant ) cures central apnea in these patients. An important finding by Dernaika, et al., (Chest 2007, 132) suggests that transient central apnea produced during CPAP titration (the so called “complex sleep apnea”) is “. transient and self-limited.” The central apneas may in fact be secondary to sleep fragmentation during the titration process. As of July 2007, there has been no alternate convincing evidence produced that these central sleep apnea events associated with CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea are of any significant pathophysiologic import. CPAP and OAT are effective only for obstructive sleep apnea, not for central or mixed cases.

When pacemakers have enabled some children to sleep without the use of a mechanical respirator, reported cases still required the tracheotomy to remain in place, because the vocal cords did not move apart with inhalation. This form of central sleep apnea has been called Ondine’s curse. Now that some children with the syndrome have grown up, there is particular need for their avoidance of adolescent behaviors, such as alcohol use, which can easily be lethal. “Obstructive sleep apnea: Should all children with Down syndrome be tested?”. If it does, along with breath, while the persons’ chest and body tries to breathe - that is literally a description of an event in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The description of Joe, “the fat boy” in Dickens’s novel, The Pickwick Papers, is an accurate clinical picture of adult obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The first reports in the medical literature of what is now called obstructive sleep apnea date only from 1965, when it was independently described by French and German investigators. The clinical picture of this condition has long been recognized as a character trait, without an understanding of the disease process. In complex (or “mixed”) sleep apnea, there is a transition from central to obstructive features during the events themselves. There are three distinct forms of sleep apnea: central, obstructive, and complex (i.e., a combination of central and obstructive) constituting 0.4%, 84% and 15% of cases respectively. “Skeletal advancement for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children”. OAT is usually successful in patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. “Localization of upper airway collapse during sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea”. Stroke is associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea sufferers also have a 30% higher risk of heart attack or premature death than those unaffected. ” Detection of obstructive sleep apnea in pediatric subjects using surface lead electrocardiogram features “.

Surgery on the mouth and throat, as well as dental surgery and procedures, can result in postoperative swelling of the lining of the mouth and other areas that affect the airway. Even when the surgical procedure is designed to improve the airway, such as tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy or tongue reduction - swelling may negate some of the effects in the immediate postoperative period. Individuals with sleep apnea generally require more intensive monitoring after surgery for these reasons. Individuals with low muscle tone and soft tissue around the airway (e.g., due to obesity), and structural features that give rise to a narrowed airway are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

The exact effects of the condition will depend on how severe the apnea is, and the individual characteristics of the person having the apnea. The use of some medications that are respiratory stimulants decrease the severity of apnea in some patients. Because of the propensity toward apnea, medications that can cause respiratory drive depression are either not given to premature infants, or given under careful monitoring, with equipment for resuscitation immediately available. Such precautions are routinely taken for premature infants after general anesthesia.

However in young children, who normally breathe at a much faster rate than adults, the pause may be many seconds shorter and still be considered apnea. In people with epilepsy, the hypoxia caused by apnea may trigger seizures that had previously been well controlled by medications. Caffeine has been found to help reduce apnea in preterm infants and to aid in care after general anesthesia.

For unknown reasons, possibly due to changes in pulmonary oxygen stores, sleeping in the lateral position has been found to be helpful for central sleep apnea with Cheyne Stokes respiration (CSA-CSR) in which respiratory-control instability plays a major pathophysiological role. In pure central sleep apnea or Cheyne-Stokes respiration, the brain’s respiratory control centers are imbalanced during sleep.

A 2005 study in the British Medical Journal found that learning and practicing the didgeridoo helped reduce snoring and sleep apnea, as well as daytime sleepiness. This appears to work by strengthening muscles in the upper airway, thus reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep. OAT is a relatively new treatment option for sleep apnea in the United States, but it is much more common in Canada and Europe. Lateral positions (sleeping on a side), as opposed to supine positions (sleeping on the back), are also recommended as a treatment for sleep apnea, largely because the gravitational component is smaller in the lateral position.

Clinically significant levels of sleep apnea are defined as five or more episodes per hour of any type of apnea (from the polysomnogram). The elderly are more likely to have OSA than young people. Men are more typical sleep apnea sufferers than women and children, although it is not uncommon in the latter two. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or a “Sleep Study” which is often conducted by a pulmnologist.

Physiologic effects of central apnea: During central apneas, the central respiratory drive is absent, and the brain does not respond to changing blood levels of the respiratory gases.
With the onset of apnea, an underpressure develops in the airspace of the lungs, because more oxygen is absorbed than CO 2 is released. With the airways closed or obstructed, this will lead to a gradual collapse of the lungs. Apneic oxygenation is more than a physiologic curiosity. It can be employed to provide a sufficient amount of oxygen in thoracic surgery when apnea cannot be avoided, and during manipulations of the airways such as bronchoscopy, intubation, and surgery of the upper airways. Under ideal conditions (i.e., if pure oxygen is breathed before onset of apnea to remove all nitrogen from the lungs, and pure oxygen is insufflated), apneic oxygenation could theoretically be sufficient to provide enough oxygen for survival of more than one hour’s duration in a healthy adult.

Apnea, apnoea, or apn”a ( Greek : “”"”, from “-, privative, “”"”, to breathe) is a technical term for suspension of external breathing. An apnea test can be used to determine whether or not someone is brain dead “if they are unable to breathe unaided (that is, with no life support systems) for a certain amount of time, then the apnea test is considered to be positive and brain death is confirmed.

Apnea can be voluntarily achieved (e.g., ” holding one’s breath “), drug -induced (e.g., opiate toxicity), mechanically induced (e.g., strangulation ), or it can occur as a consequence of neurological disease or trauma. When a person is immersed in water, physiological changes due to the mammalian diving reflex enable somewhat longer tolerance of apnea even in untrained persons.

Many people have discovered, on their own, that voluntary hyperventilation before beginning voluntary apnea allows them to hold their breath for a longer period. Some of these people incorrectly attribute this effect to increased oxygen in the blood, not realizing that it is actually due to a decrease in CO 2 in the blood and lungs. The reason for the time limit of voluntary apnea is that the rate of breathing and the volume of each breath are tightly regulated to maintain constant values of CO 2 tension and pH of the blood.

This is most likely to happen during sleep because that’s when the soft tissue at back of the throat is most relaxed. Mixed apnea is a combination of central and obstructive apnea and is seen particularly in infants or young children who have abnormal control of breathing. Although prolonged pauses in breathing can be serious, after a doctor does a complete evaluation and makes a diagnosis, most cases of apnea can be treated or managed with surgery surgery, medications, monitoring devices, or sleep centers. Many cases of apnea go away on their own. Someone with apnea might actually stop breathing for short amounts of time, decreasing oxygen levels in the body and disrupting sleep. Infants with AOI can be observed at home with the help of a special monitor prescribed by a sleep specialist. This monitor records chest movements and heart rate and can relay the readings to a hospital apnea program or save them for future examination by a doctor. An ALTE itself is not a sleep disorder - it’s a serious event with a combination of apnea and change in color, change in muscle tone, choking, or gagging.

Apnea of infancy occurs in children who are younger than 1 year old and who were born after a full-term pregnancy. Following a complete medical evaluation, if a cause of apnea isn’t found, it’s often called apnea of infancy. AOI usually goes away on its own, but if it doesn’t cause any significant problems (such as low blood oxygen), it may be considered part of the child’s normal breathing pattern. Everyone has brief pauses in their breathing pattern called apnea. Usually these brief stops are completely normal. Sometimes, though, apnea can cause a prolonged pause in breathing, making the breathing pattern irregular. The word apnea comes from the Greek word meaning “without wind.” Although it’s perfectly normal for everyone to experience occasional pauses in breathing, apnea can be a problem when breathing stops for 20 seconds or longer.

As many as 1% to 3% of otherwise healthy preschool-age kids have obstructive apnea. If AOP doesn’t resolve before discharge from the hospital, an infant may be sent home on an apnea monitor and parents and other caregivers will be taught CPR CPR.

One recent study suggests that some kids diagnosed with ADHD ADHD actually have attention problems in school because of disrupted sleep patterns caused by obstructive sleep apnea. Treatment for obstructive apnea involves keeping the throat open to aid air flow, such as with adenotonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is delivered by having the child wear a nose mask while sleeping. Because obstructive sleep apnea may disturb sleep patterns, these children may also show continued sleepiness after awakening in the morning and tiredness and attention problems throughout the day.

Central apnea occurs when the part of the brain that controls breathing doesn’t start or properly maintain the breathing process. In very premature infants, it’s seen fairly commonly because the respiratory center in the brain is immature. Other than being seen in premature infants, central apnea is the least common form of apnea and often has a neurological cause.

When an apnea occurs, sleep is disrupted. Sometimes this means the person wakes up completely, but sometimes this can mean the person comes out of a deep level of sleep and into a more shallow level of sleep. Apneas are usually measured during sleep (preferably in all stages of sleep) over a two-hour period. An estimate of the severity of apnea is calculated by dividing the number of apneas by the number of hours of sleep, giving an apnea index (AI).

If normal breath airflow is 70% to 100%, an apnea is if you stop breathing completely, or take less than 25% of a normal breath (for a period that lasts 10 seconds or more). This definition includes complete stoppage of airflow. (Other definitions of apnea that may be used include at least a 4% drop in the saturation of oxygen in the blood, a direct result of the reduction in the transfer of oxygen into the blood when breathing stops.) In simplified terms, an apnea occurs when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more. An apnea is a period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced.

Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by a reduction or cessation (pause of breathing, airflow) during sleep. It is common among adults but rare among children. There are two types of sleep apnea, the more common obstructive sleep apnea and the less common central sleep apnea, both of which will be described later in this article. In a patient with high blood pressure, stroke, daytime sleepiness, ischemic heart disease (low flow of blood to the heart), insomnia, or mood disorders’all of which can be caused or worsened by sleep apnea-sleep apnea is defined as an apnea-hypopnea index of at least 5 episodes/hour. This definition is stricter because the patient may be already experiencing the negative medical effects of sleep apnea, and it may be important to begin treatment at a lower apnea-hypopnea index. The respiratory disturbance index is similar to the apnea-hypopnea index, however, it also includes respiratory events that do not technically meet the definitions of apneas or hypopneas, but do disrupt sleep. Sleep apnea is formally defined as an apnea-hypopnea index of at least 15 episodes/hour in a patient without medical problems that may be related to the sleep apnea. (That is the equivalent of one episode every 4 minutes.) The apnea-hypopnea index, like the apnea index and hypopnea index, is calculated by dividing the number of apneas and hypopneas by the number of hours of sleep. Another index that is used to measure sleep apnea is the respiratory disturbance index (RDI). The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is an index of severity that combines apneas and hypopneas. Combining them both gives an overall severity of sleep apnea including sleep disruptions and desaturations (a low level of oxygen in the blood). The sudden decreases in oxygen levels that occur with sleep apnea place a burden on the cardiovascular system, which must work harder in an attempt to deliver sufficient oxygen to all tissues. This strain causes the development of high blood pressure in approximately half of those suffering from sleep apnea, and this increases the risks of stroke and heart failure.

Persons with sleep apnea actually stop breathing for brief periods of time (usually 10-20 seconds) while asleep. Sleep apnea often results in feelings of fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness, since the ability to reach deep, restorative sleep stages is impaired. Other warning signs of sleep apnea are often noticed by bed partners and include loud snoring and making snorting or choking sounds at night. Those affected may experience awakening with brief periods of shortness of breath.

Oral Surgery Oral Surgery - Get information on oral surgery, which may be used to remove a wisdom tooth, insert dental implants, treat TMJ, cleft lip, cleft palate, jaw deformities and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder affecting about 18 million Americans that has the potential for serious, and even fatal complications.

The ASAA is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing injury, disability, and death from sleep apnea and to enhancing the well-being of those affected by this common disorder.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): The more common of the two forms of apnea, it is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep. Central sleep apnea : Unlike OSA, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe due to instability in the respiratory control center.

Untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for poor performance in everyday activities, such as at work and school, motor vehicle crashes, as well as academic underachievement in children and adolescents.

The goal of this treatment is to assist the weak breathing pattern of central sleep apnea. With CPAP (SEE-pap), the air pressure is somewhat greater than that of the surrounding air, and is just enough to keep your upper airway passages open, preventing apnea and snoring. CPAP may eliminate snoring and prevent sleep apnea. As with obstructive sleep apnea, it’s important that you use the device as directed. Some are designed to open your throat by bringing your jaw forward, which can sometimes relieve snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea. Removing tissues in the back of your throat with a laser (laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty) or with radiofrequency energy (radiofrequency ablation) are procedures that doctors sometimes use to treat snoring. Although sometimes these procedures are combined with others, they aren’t usually recommended as sole treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. Your tonsils and adenoids usually are removed as well. This type of surgery may be successful in stopping throat structures from vibrating and causing snoring. It may be less successful in treating sleep apnea because tissue farther down your throat may still block your air passage. The goal of surgery for sleep apnea is to remove excess tissue from your nose or throat that may be vibrating and causing you to snore, or that may be blocking your upper air passages and causing sleep apnea. Tracheostomy. You may need this form of surgery if other treatments have failed and you have severe, life-threatening sleep apnea. In this procedure, your surgeon makes an opening in your neck and inserts a metal or plastic tube through which you breathe. For milder cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes such as losing weight or quitting smoking. If these measures don’t improve your signs and symptoms or if your apnea is moderate to severe, a number of other treatments are available. Treatment for associated medical problems. Possible causes of central sleep apnea include heart or neuromuscular disorders, and treating those conditions may help. More study is needed. Along with these treatments, you may read or hear about different treatments for sleep apnea, such as implants. Although a number of medical devices and procedures have received Food and Drug Administration clearance, there’s limited published research regarding how useful they are, and they aren’t generally recommended as sole therapies.

Continuous positive airway pressure. This method, also used in obstructive sleep apnea, involves wearing a pressurized mask over your nose while you sleep. If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, you may benefit from a machine that delivers air pressure through a mask placed over your nose while you sleep.

Supplemental oxygen. Using supplemental oxygen while you sleep may help if you have central sleep apnea. Although CPAP is a preferred method of treating sleep apnea, some people find it cumbersome or uncomfortable.

These periods of lack of breathing, or apneas, are followed by sudden attempts to breathe. These attempts are accompanied by a change to a lighter stage of sleep. The snoring proceeds at a regular pace for a period of time, often becoming louder, but is then interrupted by a long silent period during which no breathing is taking place (apnea). The apnea is then interrupted by a loud snort and gasp and the snoring returns to its regular pace. This behavior recurs frequently throughout the night.

Ingestion of alcohol or sedatives before sleep may predispose to episodes of apnea. If the condition is severe enough, pulmonary hypertension may develop leading to right-sided heart failure right-sided heart failure or cor pulmonale cor pulmonale. It is important to emphasize that often, the person who has obstructive sleep apnea does not remember the episodes of apnea during the night. Call your health care provider if you have excessive daytime sleepiness, or if you or your family notice symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. If you have this condition, call if symptoms do not improve with treatment or if new symptoms develop.

A tonsillectomy may be all that is necessary in children to cure obstructive sleep apnea. Attending a support group with others who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea or related disorders may help persons adjust to their disease and adapt to the lifestyle changes necessary to treat it. The classic picture of obstructive sleep apnea includes episodes of heavy snoring that begin soon after falling asleep. Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by episodes of stopped breathing during sleep. Weight management (or intentional weight loss) and avoiding alcohol and sedatives at bedtime may relieve sleep apnea in some individuals. If these measures are unsuccessful in stopping sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure ( CPAP CPAP ), a form of mechanical breathing assistance that involves the use of a specially-designed mask worn over the nose or nose and mouth at night, may be prescribed.

Older obese obese men seem to be at higher risk, though as many as 40% of people with obstructive sleep apnea are not obese. A large neck or collar size is strongly associated with obstructive sleep apnea.

In some people, surgery to remove blockage of the nose or upper throat may relieve sleep apnea. Children with very large tonsils and adenoids may develop sleep apnea and related problems. They should be evaluated to see whether they need to have their tonsils or adenoids removed.

The most common kind of sleep apnea is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Obstructive sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness that can result in accidents, lost productivity and interpersonal relationship problems. Some people have facial deformities that may cause the sleep apnea. It simply may be that their jaw is smaller than it should be or they could have a smaller opening at the back of the throat. Sleep apnea means “cessation of breath.” It is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. Moderate to severe Sleep Apnea is usually treated with a C-PAP (continous positive airway pressure). A sleep test, called polysomnography is usually done to diagnose sleep apnea. RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) PROCEDURE OR SOMNOPLASTY RADIO FREQUENCY opnbrktRFclsbrkt PROCEDURE OR SOMNOPLASTY The newest surgical procedure for snoring and sleep apnea is called somnoplasty . LASER ASSISTED UVULOPLASTY (LAUP) LASER ASSISTED UVULOPLASTY opnbrktLAUPclsbrkt There is also Laser Assisted Uvuloplasty (LAUP) , is a surgical procedure to remove the uvula and surrounding tissue to open the airway behind the palate. This procedure has been used to relieve snoring. It has been used somewhat successfully in treating sleep apnea. Radio energy shrinks airway tissue, suggesting cure for snoring, apnea .

Sometimes the structure of the jaw and airway can be a factor in sleep apnea. ASAA Membership is $25 a year. A brochure, ” What is Sleep Apnea?,” defines the disease, describes its symptoms, explains the consequences of untreated apnea, and encourages those who may have apnea to seek diagnosis and treatment. First time members receive a medical alert style identification bracelet or necklace to help assure that you will receive appropriate treatment for your sleep apnea during a medical emergency. A new treatment for sleep apnea, radiofrequency volumetric reduction of the tongue has been approved by the FDA.

Find out about the different manufacturers who provide respiratory equipment for obstructive sleep apnea. respiratory equipment for obstructive sleep apnea. They have photos of their CPAP machines, masks and other equipment, so take a look. Sleep Apnea is a progessive condition (gets worse as you age) and should not be taken lightly. Always make sure you have a doctor who has done the procedure many times and is preferrably extremely knowledgeable about sleep apnea.