Latest News on Sleep Apnea
By surgery, or with a CPAP machine at home for breathing. If you are overweight, try losing some pounds. Sleep with your neck hyper-extended (tip your head all the way back), this forces the airway open for mouth breathing. Talk to your doctor for choices that are available to you.
Very. I have severe sleep apnea and it kinda shut down puberty. I found out I had sleep apnea when I was 40.
Problems for undiagnosed sleep apnea include weight gain, physical problems, sleepiness.
Nowadays its more well known. When I was a kid they didn’t even have a therapy for it, even if they knew you had it!
The sleep titration study, the hospital gig where they find out if you have it, is easy. The therapy, a machine that helps you sleep, is easy. So get that taken care of!
also is there amedicine other than provigil that helps sleep apne related deppresion?
No they should not be driving if their treatments are not working. However if there is some improvement there is no reason not to drive. The dangerous ones are those who have severe sleep apnea, are not diagnosed or in treatment, and do no know enough to pull over and nap when they feel drowsy.
I am on provigil and it does seem to help my alertness during my mind numbing job. So far though I don’t know if No Doz pills would be just as good. Certainly a lot cheaper.
i am a 37 yr old truck driver and; yes, i am obese. i’ve tried diet and exercise. but while driving and the sleepy or tired feeling comes down on me i snack to stay awake, usually un healthy snacks like chocolate and caffiene and chips and sodas. if anyone has any experience or opinions i am open for suggestions.
Surgery for obstructive sleep apnea in obese patients has a very low success rate because the internal body fat is what causes the obstruction. Surgery is limited to the soft palate, and it will not help because the blockage is in the pharynx (lower throat).
You really need to use the CPAP mask.
Snack on apples, baby carrots, pears, whole grain crackers, string cheese, and the like.
I have a friend who drove long-haul loads and kept busy eating good stuff. He said it really helped get rid of the constipation truckers suffer, too. He kept a small cooler in his rig.
It’s actually cheaper to go the fresh fruit and vegetable route than buying junk food.
The problem you’re having with sleepiness may actually be made worse by consuming sugary snacks, because your blood sugar isn’t steady as it would be by eating healthy snacks. Yours probably spikes, then goes WAY down because you are eating “simple sugars”. That will cause severe fatigue.
40% of the local adult population, age between 30 to 60 suffer from a medical condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). Apnoea is Latin for cessation of breathing and hence OSA is a condition where there is repeated upper airway closure during sleep. A person with OSA is usually unaware of how many times choking and awakenings occur during sleep. OSA sufferers develop a higher risk of contracting chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes and diabetes. Even so, 80% of OSA suffers did not seek medical treatment due to low awareness.
One of the main symptoms that OSA patients encounter is cessation of breaths for more than 10 seconds. Other symptoms that are often faced include daytime sleepiness, poor concentrate in the day and frequent headaches.
Apart from surgery, OSA patients can also use Continuous Positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to aid better sleeping. CPAP machine works by forcing air into the airway, making sure that breathing is constant. The machine also monitors breathing patterns and adjustments can be made to the breathing.
Dr Mark mentioned that OSA is common in the Asian population due to a flatter face structure resulting in a narrower airway. Patients who smoke, drink or are obese have increased risk of OSA. In severe cases of OSA, cessation of breaths can clock up to 600 times, causing increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Studies have shown that OSA is present in 70% of stroke patients. There will be about 30% increased risk in developing high blood pressure and heart attacks if medical treatment is not received over time.
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If adenoids and tonsils are out, what is the treatment? CPAP only?
Although adenoids and tonsils are the most common cause, problems with deviated septum, collapseable soft tissue in the neck, and underbite can be causes as well, and may be amendable to treatment surgically.
CPAP is a good treatment, but if there’s any other surgical intervention it should be considered first especially for someone young.
Provent Therapy is an easy-to-use, discreet nasal device proven to significantly reduce AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index), ODI (Oxygen Desaturation Index), and OSA-related snoring.
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My son has obstructive sleep apnea and needs open-heart surgery to help get rid of the pressure in his lungs, I have heard that having a breathing tube in for the amount of time that the surgery is will cause complications when trying to remove it after…. is this information valid??
This is difficult to say. The endotracheal tube in and of itself will not cause problems related to his sleep apnea. What it sounds like is that they are concerned if he’ll be able to come off the ventilator after the surgery. You don’t say what kind of open heart surgery he’s having. If it’s a bypass it’s not likely to effect his lungs post op. If it is a valve they’re replacing, like the Mitral valve or the Aortic valve then, yes, it will help clear the Congestive heart failure. That will help his lungs function properly and increase his chances of coming off the ventilator greatly. Once he’s off the ventilator they take the endotracheal tube out almost immediately after.
Some people do get slight swelling of the throat and possibly the vocal cords. But this doesn’t happen often, especially when the tube is put in under OR conditions. I
If it is a valve they’re replacing this should help with the apnea. If he is overweight he must lose the excess if he’s going to have any chance of getting off the CPAP machine.
God bless you both and help him to a speedy recovery.