What Are Permanent Treatments for Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea causes stops in breathing temporarily and frequently during sleep. These breathing causes can occur hundreds of times in a single night. The condition can decline your quality of life and makes you more prone to dangerous complications. Therefore, seeking sleep apnea treatment in McArthur without delay is essential.

Is Sleep Apnea Dangerous?

According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, around 38000 individuals in the U.S.A. die every year from heart disease due to sleep apnea. The absence of treatment makes severe sleep apnea more dangerous because it nearly doubles the risk of death.

Life Expectancy and Sleep Apnea Relationship

Johns Hopkins Medicine studies claim that sleep apnea minimizes the life of a person by several years. There are usually three types of sleep apnea- obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most prevalent. It occurs when the tissues in the neck, throat, or mouth block the airway temporarily when you are sleeping. It’s mainly due to the improper relaxation of muscles.

In central sleep apnea, the patient experiences impaired brain signals. It significantly affects the breathing muscles. Mixed sleep apnea is a mixture of central and obstructive sleep apnea types.

With OSA, the throat and mouth tissues stay most relaxed. It decreases the oxygen and heart rate level till the body has a panic reflex. It prompts you to start breathing again. This can occur several times every hour. The unhealthy sleep patterns caused by sleep apnea in the long term decline overall health. The immediate repercussions include:

• Decreased energy level.
• Fatigue.
• Cloudy thinking.

But the long-term effects of sleep apnea are much more serious. As per the Cleveland Clinic, the following medical conditions are associated with it:

• Diabetes.
• Enlargement of the heart.
• Heart attack and stroke.
• High blood pressure.
• Obesity.
• Issues related to heart rhythm.

Each one of these medical conditions can minimize your expectancy of life. As per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, moderate sleep apnea enhances your death risk by 17%. Therefore, if you have symptoms of sleep apnea, get tested quickly at Fall River Valley Dentist. The doctor will diagnose the condition using a sleep study – a polysomnogram can be done in a sleep laboratory or at home.

How Does Alcohol Affect Sleep Apnea?

High alcohol intake increases the risk of sleep panes by 25%. It means alcohol causes a significant impact on breathing patterns at night. It increases snoring and makes breathing shallow.

Alcohol and Sleep

Consuming alcohol can disturb the sleep cycles and minimize the amount of time you spend in deep sleep. You wake up more often and feeling tired. It means you won’t get relaxed sleep after alcohol intake.

The Connection between OSA and Alcohol

Excess alcohol intake is linked to OSA. When a person has an alcohol-use disorder and drinks alcohol in the evening, it relaxes the throat and neck muscles. It collapses the airways and results in sleep apnea.

Poor sleep due to OSA also decreases the oxygen levels in the blood and increases carbon dioxide in the body. Therefore, if you have OSA, it’s a good idea to minimize your alcohol intake. We highly recommend finishing alcohol at least a few hours before going to bed. Also, the dentist in McArthur suggests using your sleep apnea device at night.

Permanent Treatments

Ongoing sleep apnea is treatable using an oral appliance or CPAP machine. CPAP functions by opening up using air pressure. On the other hand, oral appliances work by moving the jaw forward to open the airway during sleep. This highly effective sleep apnea near you treatment is considered more tolerable for many patients.

Patients need to wear an oral appliance and CPAP machine every night to get the desired results. In complex cases when no other treatment works, the doctor suggests surgery. Common surgical options include:

a) UPPP

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty includes repositioning or elimination of different tissues in the throat and mouth. For example, the doctor cuts down the uvula and soft palate to make the airway broad. He/she will combine this surgery with other surgeries like adenoidectomies and tonsillectomies.

b) Genioglossus Advancement

During this surgery, the sleep apnea surgeon pulls the tongue base forward. It makes the tongue less likely to collapse into the airway during sleep.

c) Turbinate Reduction and Septoplasty

This surgical option helps to open the nasal passage to enhance the flow of air.