Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea is a condition in which there is a decrease in the airflow that occurs during sleep. In some cases there is a cessation of breathing completely for a short period of time. Specifically speaking, apnea is claimed when there is a cessation for more than 10 seconds. While most people wake up during sleep when an apnea occurs, there are others who might move from a deep sleep to shallow sleep when there is lack of oxygen in the blood due to the breathing issue. A milder form of apnea is called hyponnea in which the reduction of breathing is much lower. There are two main types of apnea that a person can suffer from and both can be treated.

Sleep apnea treatment options that are not surgical are mainly behavioral changes, providing a continuous positive airway pressure, medication and dental appliances as well. It has been noticed that apnea occurs in specific sleeping positions and changes made to the positions can sometimes stop the condition from recurring completely. Obesity is another factor that contributes to apnea to a large extent. Weight loss and exercise can also help in reducing and slowly removing apnea altogether. Dental appliances are also kind of apnea treatments that involves appliances that hold the jaw and the tongue in specific positions so as to remove obstruction while breathing.

Obstructive sleep apnea can be cured easily with the use of the above mentioned dental appliances. However, medications are also used for treatment for this condition at times. These include nasal steroid sprays that help in removing nasal blocks in the airway. Other medicines that are used are nasal decongestants. These can also help in any inflammation that may braise in the nasal area. Among other medications, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) and tricyclic antidepressants have also been used for obstructive apnea. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the process in which the airway is kept open so that it does not close.

There are other surgical treatments also available for apnea. These are generally chosen when non surgical options do not help and are mainly resorted to if the apnea is extremely severe. While a surgery promises a permanent cure and the process may seem easier than the regular everyday medications or appliances that need to be used, surgery obviously requires time off from work and normal life for a while. Some risks that are present during this surgery are bleeding, scars, problems in swallowing after the surgery and other regular surgical complications that may arise. Since the surgery is dependent on the specific anatomy of an individual each surgery has its own challenges that it brings along. However, the common surgeries that are performed are related to palate implants, tongue reduction, maxillomandibular procedures, hyoid suspension and other such surgeries for sleep apnea.