The Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea

How can I tell if I"ve sleep apnea and how can I treat it?

Examination

The typical patient with snore is an over weight middle-aged male with a neck size in excess of 17 inches. However, the situation is also common in women and not absolutely all individuals are heavy. Almost everyone who has snore is a snorer, often a very heavy snorer. Breaks in breathing during sleep are frequently recognized with a bed partner but this history is frequently lacking and as much as five "events" per hour are considered normal.

One of the more constant symptoms is "nonrestorative sleep" meaning that the patient gets in the morning feeling unrefreshed irrespective of simply how much he slept throughout the night. Excessive daytime sleepiness is common in sleep apnea of any severity but some patients complain of weakness as opposed to sleepiness. But, many patients with severe snore haven"t any criticism of sleepiness or fatigue.

The absolute most accurate diagnostic tool, polysomnography, can confirm the diagnosis and help the physician in identifying the type of snore present. Before, this examination was only done in hospitals and in particular sleep laboratories. These day there are portable sleep recording systems that can perform alone polysomnography in the patient"s house, but in-laboratory testing with a technician present remains the typical and is needed by many insurers including Medicare before they will buy treatment of sleep apnea.

With advances in portable electronics, patients are now able to make use of a small device called a oximeter, which is attached to a fingertip to measure the oxygen saturation of the body (percent of the total hemoglobin that is mixed with oxygen). That non-intrusive monitor measures the difference in the shade of the oxygenated and of the deoxygenated hemoglobins. While it is not been probably the most reliable screening instrument recordings of blood oxygen saturation while asleep can provide an estimate of the seriousness of the problem.

Treatment

There are a variety of treatments for snore, depending on the seriousness of the disorder and a people health background. Most treatment programs start out with lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol and medications that curl up the central nervous system (for example, sedatives and muscle relaxants), slimming down, and quitting smoking.

Some individuals are helped by special pillows or devices that keep them from sleeping on their backs. Some situations are treated with oral appliances to help keep the airway open while asleep.

If these traditional practices are insufficient, medical practioners recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A face mask is attached to a pipe and a machine that produces condensed air into the mask and through the throat to keep it open. There are also surgery that can be used to eliminate tissue and widen the airway. Discover more on per your request by visiting our stylish wiki. Many people may require a mix of remedies to successfully treat their sleep apnea.

To conclude, sleep apnea left untreated can be life threatening. People can be caused by excessive daytime sleepiness to drift off at inappropriate times, such as for instance while driving. Snore also appears to put individuals at an increased risk for stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs, also referred to as mini- shots), and is connected with coronary heart disease, heart failure, abnormal pulse, heart attack, gout and high blood pressure. Dig up further on an affiliated article - Click here: sleep masks.

Current studies show that successful treatment can reduce steadily the threat of blood and heart pressure problems, while there is no remedy for sleep apnea.. Should you want to be taught new info on small blue arrow, there are millions of on-line databases you could investigate.

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