SLEEP APNEA TREATMENT IN UTAH

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What is Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the term for when the airway collapses, either partially or fully, while someone is asleep. This limits or blocks the ability for air to flow into the lungs. As the person continues to try and breathe, the airway constricts, no matter how hard they try to keep breathing. Once this happens, the person will change the position of their tongue and jaw so that the airway is now open. This usually is followed by the person gasping or snorting. Finally, the person affected will begin this process again.

The effects of this are harmful. It not only makes it harder to breathe, which can be dangerous, but it also leads to less restful sleep. When the airways constrict, the brain “awakens” the person so that they are sleeping more lightly. Spurts of gasping and snorting can repeat hundreds of times throughout the night, disrupting sleep all around.

If you are suffering from sleep apnea in Utah, please come see us.

DID YOU KNOW?

25% of men in the U.S. are estimated to suffer from some form of Sleep Apnea

AND

Sleep Apnea is linked to obesity, diabetes, stroke and heart failure

The Stages of Sleep

For those who suffer from this condition, it is near impossible to go through the full cycle of a restful sleep. There are four stages of sleep, and each one is necessary to achieve a full night’s rest.

The four stages of the sleep cycle are:

Transition – about 5% of the total cycle.
Light – about 45% of the cycle.
Deep – about 25% of the cycle. This is when the body heals itself and many important reparative functions occur. People who don’t enter the deep cycle will be tired the next day.
REM – Rapid Eye Movement – about 25% of the cycle. This is when most memorable dreams occur. People who don’t complete a full REM cycle tend to complain that they are tired and find it difficult to concentrate.

How is Sleep Apnea Treated?

Your quality of life can be affected greatly by the quality of the sleep you get. Fortunately, help for those suffering with a lack of sleep is easily accessible from a sleep clinic. You can usually get treatment without the need for medications.

CPAP Machine Therapy

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. A CPAP machine blows a constant stream of air into your mouth, forcing open your airway and allowing your body to get the oxygen it needs. Despite its widespread use, many people are CPAP intolerant and are unable to wear the mask at night due to how invasive and uncomfortable it can be.

Oral Appliances

A mandibular advancement device is one such oral appliance used in the treatment of sleep apnea. They are worn in the mouth overnight and look like sports mouth guards. Their purpose is to ease the lower jaw forwards with the use of metal or elastic hinges to make breathing easier.

Another is a tongue retaining device, which acts as a kind of splint to keep the tongue in place and open the airways.

Surgery

Rarely is surgery used to treat OSA. But if needed, nasal surgery may help a patient’s ability to use a CPAP. There is also the option of having a bimaxillary advancement performed. When all else fails, the last option is having a Tracheostomy performed – when a surgeon makes an opening in the front of the neck and inserts a tube into the windpipe to help patients breathe.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

It can be challenging to distinguish between obstructive and central sleep apneas since their signs and symptoms sometimes coincide. Obstructive and central sleep apnea's most typical warning signs and symptoms are as follows:

• A loud snore

• Episodes where you stop breathing while sleeping, which someone else might notice

• Breathing heavily when sleeping

• Dry mouth upon awakening

• Daytime headache

• Having trouble remaining asleep (insomnia)

• Excessive slumber during the day (hypersomnia)

• Inability to concentrate while awake

• Irritability

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options in Utah

Conservative Therapies

Conservative therapy may be sufficient in mild cases of obstructive sleep apnea.

Losing weight can be advantageous for overweight people. Most patients can have a reduction in apneic episodes of even 10% with weight loss. As alcohol and some sleeping drugs increase the likelihood that the airway may collapse while you're asleep and lengthen the apneic episodes, they should be avoided by people with obstructive sleep apnea.

Some moderate obstructive sleep apnea patients only experience breathing pauses while lying on their backs. In these circumstances, utilizing a wedge pillow or other tools that allow them to sleep on their side may be an excellent obstructive sleep apnea treatment option.

Mechanical Therapy

For the majority of persons with obstructive sleep apnea, Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy is the preferred initial course of action. Patients who receive PAP therapy cover their mouth and/or nose with a mask. Air is gently blown via the mouth and/or nose using an air blower. The air pressure is set to exactly the right amount to keep the tissues in the upper airways from collapsing while you sleep.

The most popular PAP device is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). The machine has only one pressure setting.

Bi-Level PAP employs one pressure when you breathe in and a lower pressure when you exhale (breathing out). Before health insurance will pay for the bi-level, a requirement must be satisfied. This typically implies that before insurance will pay for a bi-level, the CPAP machine must be tried out first and proven to be ineffective, with the results being documented.

If you are interested in sleep apnea solutions book a consultation to speak with our sleep apnea doctor, they will assess you and let you know if an Oral Appliance for Sleep Apnea is right for you, we also provide TMJ Therapy in Utah at The Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ.

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