Sleep Apnea – A Sleeping Epidemic

http://askdrgoldberg.com
Chiropractic is the natural solution to sleep apnea. In our office a lot of cases are due to a hiatal hernia. This is where the stomach pushes up into the esophagus that affects a person’s breathing while they sleep, and thus they wake up several times a night. The simple solution is to adjust the hiatal hernia manually. This is a safe, simple and very effective procedure done with very minimal pain and without surgery or side effects.

Sleep apnea is becoming very common as you may have noticed the increase of sleep apnea centers springing up all over the country. It is now as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million people in the U.S. alone. Risk factors include being male, overweight, over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, any time,even children. It’s sad that the vast majority of cases remain undiagnosed and therefore remain untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant health consequences.

Learn more at http://bestpittsburghchiropractor.com or contact our office at 412-367-3778.

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Dr. Michael Papsidero discusses an brief overview of treatments for OSA, from mild to intense.

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My name is Alysia Castillo and I am a student at Capt. John L. Chapin High School currently enrolled in senior year Design and Development class for the pre-engineering magnet program. I am currently working on modifying a CPAP mask for those who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. If you could please take a moment of your time to answer the following questions, I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Consumer Survey

1.Have you been formally diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea?
YesNo

2.How often do you wake up due to obstructive sleep apnea (without a CPAP machine) per week?
A.Once a week
B.2-3 times a week
C.4-6 times a week
D.Over 6 times

3.Are you medically required (by a doctor) to use a CPAP mask while sleeping?
YesNo

4.How often do you wear your CPAP mask to sleep?
A.Always
B.Almost Always
C.Occasionally
D.Never

5.How would you rate the comfort ability of your CPAP machine mask on a scale of 1-5?
1- Very comfortable
2 -slightly comfortable
3- No preference
4- Slightly uncomfortable
5- Extremely uncomfortable

6.Would you say that your CPAP allows you to sleep better while using it? Without using it?
Using CPAP- Yes No
Without CPAP- Yes No

7.Are you able to afford a CPAP machine and the different face masks?
YesNo

8.Which mask do you prefer?
A.Nasal mask
B.Nasal prongs
C.Nose cushion
D.Oral mask

9.Open Ended: What modifications to the facial mask would you want to improve your machine and mask?

. Have you been formally diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea?
Yes

2. How often do you wake up due to obstructive sleep apnea (without a CPAP machine) per week?

D. Over 6 times (32 times an hour- You would only have cpap if you had greater than 15 times an hour)

3. Are you medically required (by a doctor) to use a CPAP mask while sleeping?
Yes
4. How often do you wear your CPAP mask to sleep?
A. Always

5. How would you rate the comfort ability of your CPAP machine mask on a scale of 1-5?

2 -slightly comfortable

6. Would you say that your CPAP allows you to sleep better while using it? Without using it?
Using CPAP- Yes
Without CPAP- If I fall alseep on the plane even for 15 minutes with out my machine, I get a headache for days

7. Are you able to afford a CPAP machine and the different face masks?
Yes It is not cheap but well worth it. I buy online which is cheaper

8. Which mask do you prefer?
A. Nasal mask

9. Open Ended: What modifications to the facial mask would you want to improve your machine and mask? To lighten the machine for ease of travel, to decrease the sound as much as possible and to increase the size of the humidifier for better humidification. I use the remstar plus currently.

Try visiting sleepnet.com.

There are some recent findings that chinstraps may be more effective than CPAP at treating sleep apnea. Has anyone succesfully tried using just a chin strap alone? If so, any particular brand?

Only the least severe cases of sleep apnea can be treated this way. Most of my patients who are newer to sleep apnea underwent a sleep study with a chinstrap alone and it was only shown effective for those who weren’t obese and didn’t have a moderate to severe soft palate occlusion.
If you have questions about this, you may want to consult your pulmonary doctor or the doctor who read your polysomnography results to assess whether or not this is right for you.

PILLAR PROCEDURE. MAY I HAVE YOUR COMMENTS ON YOUR EXPERIENCE? I HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AND I’M NOW ON THE CPAP TREATMENT WITH THE AUTOSET BY RESMED. A LIVE IN MEXICO CITY AND I AM PLANNING TO HAVE A CONSULTATION IN DALLAS. THANKS

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for sleep apnea which may help to stop snoring. But one need to use it properly, also till it is recommended. CPAP may eliminate snoring and prevent sleep apnea. It has some side effects like dry or stuffy nose, sore eyes, bloating of stomach, skin irritation etc.
Some treatment includes- surgery, dental appliances, Tracheostomy, Maxillomandibular advancement, etc. All these are possible treatments which may be used according to the severity of the disorder.
For more information regarding sleep apnea syndrome <br><a herf=”http://www.obesityweightlosssurgery.com/category_story_625.html”> know more, click here</a>

I was just diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and my doctor says that he wants to do surgery on both my palate and nasal airway. He says that my nasal airway is barely open and not getting any oxygen in it when I try to breathe (mouth breather). I don’t want the surgery, so he says that he’ll only let me try the CPAP for one night at the hospital but that if it doesn’t work, he’ll do the surgery anyway. Has anyone here had nasal surgery? Is it done awake/asleep? Does it hurt? Does it work? I’m really scared about it but all Doc tells me is not to worry. Easy for him to say.

It all depends on the reason for the nasal surgery. Some people do have a deviated septum or other major reasons for nasal blockage. In some cases the nasal airway blockage will actually make using cpap more difficult due to nasal congestion and such. On the other hand the palate surgery is not always the best option. This is not an absolute cure for OSA. Almost all patients who have the surgery wind up on Cpap anyways. The success rate is very poor and it almost never works. Also very painful. An ENT is generally going to want to perform the surgery. I agree with the person who says you should see a board certified sleep specialist on this matter. He may give you a different outlook on your situation. Good luck in whatever your outcome may be.

(sorry for the grammer and spelling)
So far i found out that tissues at the back of your throat are collapsing and that’s normal but the thing that prevents it from collapsing is the problem.

Well, my cousin’s son (infant) is having a problem breathing and some doctors said that there is something wrong with the brain (the neurons go to something, i don’t know; i’m sorry). The probable diagnosis was central end-peripheral sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common category of sleep-disordered breathing. Since the muscle tone of the body ordinarily relaxes during sleep, and since, at the level of the throat, the human airway is composed of walls of soft tissue, which can collapse, it is easy to understand why breathing can be obstructed during sleep. Mild, occasional sleep apnea, such as many people experience during an upper respiratory infection, may not be important, but chronic, severe obstructive sleep apnea requires treatment to prevent sleep deprivation and other complications. The most serious complication is a severe form of congestive heart failure called cor pulmonale.

Individuals with decreased muscle tone, increased soft tissue around the airway (e.g., due to obesity), and structural features that give rise to a narrowed airway are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Older people are more likely to have OSA than younger people. Men are more typical sleep apnea sufferers, although the condition is not unusual in women or children.

Common symptoms include loud snoring, restless sleep, and sleepiness during the daytime. Diagnostic tests include home oximetry or polysomnography in a sleep clinic.

Some treatments involve lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol or muscle relaxants, losing weight, and quitting smoking. Many people benefit from sleeping at a 30 degree angle or higher, as if in a recliner. Doing so helps prevent gravity from collapsing the airway. Lateral positions (sleeping on your side), as opposed to supine positions (sleeping on your back), are also recommended as a treatment for sleep apnea, largely because the airway-collapsing effect of gravity is not as strong to collapse the airway in the lateral position. Some people benefit from various kinds of oral appliances to keep the airway open during sleep. “Breathing machines” like the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may help. There are also surgical procedures that can be used to remove and tighten tissue and widen the airway.

The most common treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a positive airway pressure (PAP) device[13] (PAP), which ‘splints’ the patient’s airway open during sleep by means of a flow of pressurized air into the throat.

In addition to PAP, a dentist specializing in sleep disorders can prescribe Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT). The oral appliance is a custom made mouthpiece that shifts the lower jaw forward which opens up the airway. OAT is usually successful in patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. OAT is a relatively new treatment option for sleep apnea in the United States, but it is much more common in Canada and Europe.

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