What is Sleep Apnea?

A condition in which there are pauses or decreases in breathing during sleep is called Sleep Apnea. This particular condition typically occurs anywhere between the point where the air enters the nostrils to the back of the tongue - around the area in the nose and throat. It can be likened to a straw collapsing when sucking a milkshake. This condition is frequently inherited and starts right in childhood. In daytime, this condition isn't  problematic as the brain monitors breathing and there is good muscle-tone. However, the muscles become more lenient and the brain is not attentive to the airway at night. Therefore, during slumber, breathing causes the airway to significantly narrow down or collapse.

These frequent awakenings result to fragmentation of sleep. More often than not, people which this condition do not even remember these frequent awakenings as they occur shortly.In fact, most patients wake up at least 30 times in a single hour and still think they've had a continuous, uninterrupted sleep. Sleep fragmentation can cause a number of cognitive problems due to its being supposedly a restorative process in nature; such cognitive problems include slowed reaction time, an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents daytime sleepiness, memory problems, concentration difficulties, emotional instability, and irritability.

In today's medical world, there are dozens of ways to treat Sleep Apnea. One example of such is with the CPAP. Attached to an air compressor, the CPAP is a mark worn just over the nose and attached to a hose. To keep the airway from collapsing, the air compressor gently blows a quiet, gentle air into the nose to stent the airway open. This is the most common and effective way to treat Sleep Apnea; patients are recommended to try this solution first before going for other options.

Surgery can also be an effective way to treat Sleep Apnea. There are many, different procedures by Dr. Eric Coontz which can be performed. These may range from simple nasal septum repair to complicated procedures such as jaw reconstruction. Consult a medical expert to assess whether surgery is truly the right option.

Oral appliances are devices created by a dentist or orthodontist which is designed to pull your lower jaw forward. By pulling the lower jaw forward, the tongue is then pulled away from the back of the throat. If the obstruction is situated at the back of the tongue, then this can be the most effective way of treating your Sleep Apnea. In this type of treatment, the patient, orthodontist/dentist, and physician should be coordinated. For more info about sleep apnea, check out http://www.britannica.com/science/sleep-apnea.

Even though these treatments help a patient have better, uninterrupted sleep, they are not necessarily ideal solutions. To find the suitable obstructive sleep apnea treatment or alternative for you, always try and seek medical assistance from experts.