Everyone wants to get a good night’s sleep, but this may be difficult for those with sleep apnea. This sleep disorder causes a person’s breathing to stop frequently and restart. Snoring is also common.
If you think you may have sleep apnea, ENT & Allergy of Georgia can guide you on the journey of starting treatment and sleeping peacefully once again. You don’t have to live with the discomfort from your symptoms.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include:
The main kinds of sleep apnea are obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea and complex sleep apnea syndrome.
Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of this condition, affecting 25-30% of men and 9-17% of women in the United States. It occurs when the muscles at the back of the throat relax, causing your airway to narrow or close while you are breathing.
Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea include:
Central sleep apnea is the result of the brain failing to send signals to the muscles that control breathing–meaning that you do not try to breathe.
Risk factors for this condition include:
This condition refers to when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
Our provider will begin by discussing your symptoms and sleep history. You may also participate in a sleep study, which measures your heart rate, blood oxygen level and breathing patterns. This can be done at home or at a medical facility.
The most common solution for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A CPAP machine delivers air pressure through a mask while sleeping, which keeps your upper airway passages open to prevent sleep apnea and snoring.
CPAP machines and masks are available in a variety of styles and sizes, and our team will work with you to determine which options will work best for you. Some patients benefit from a nasal mask that covers the nose, while others require a full-face mask that covers both the nose and mouth.
Additional treatment options for sleep apnea include oral appliances, which move the lower jaw forward to keep the airway passages open or hold the tongue in place to prevent it from falling backward and blocking the airway.
Our team at ENT & Allergy of Georgia will work with you to determine what treatment options will work best for your sleep apnea. Once you begin your customized treatment plan, you’ll rest easier at the end of a long day.
