Sleep Apnea Surgery Options
Sleep apnea is caused by narrowed or blocked airways in your nose, throat or mouth. This problem can be mild or severe depending upon how often you stop breathing in an hours time. Sleep apnea means that you stop breathing for 10 or more seconds while sleeping.
When you are awake, the large adenoids, tonsils or uvula do not cause any problem. But when you lie down during night, they press down against your airway and thus causing sleep apnea.
Treatments for sleep apnea
Some lifestyle changes can be helpful in treating sleep apnea. They include sleeping on your side rather than your back, quit smoking and drinking, raising your head while sleeping, losing weight and using oral breathing device. It is also helpful to treat the breathing problems as soon as you can.
If nothing else works, you need to talk to your doctor. You doctor may suggest sleep apnea surgery and various options are-
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty involves removing excess tissue of throat and making the airway wider. This is most common sleep apnea surgery in adults.
Tonsillectomy removes the tonsils or adenoids if they are enlarged and they block your airway while sleeping. This is the first options of sleep apnea surgery for kids as enlarged adenoids and tonsils are most common cause of sleep apnea in them.
Tracheostomy involves creating a hole in the wind pipe and a tube is put in that hole to bring the air in. This sleep apnea surgery is rarely used as it may cause other health problems.
Bariatic surgery is used for extremely overweight people and if excess weight is the cause of their sleep apnea. This sleep apnea surgery is an extreme measure and is done only for the people who cannot lose weight with the help of diet control and exercise.
Other than sleep apnea surgery, it can also be treated with the help of a sleep apnea pillow. This pillow is especially designed for snorers and gives support to neck. It is like a two layered triangle and looks more like a boomerang. Its angular design is what makes it effective in treating apnea.
If you think that you or anyone in your family might be suffering from sleep apnea, do not ignore it. If left unattended, it can prove fatal and result in various complications. Sleep apnea surgery is an effective method of treating sleep apnea but make sure that you consult a qualified physician who has performed successful sleep apnea surgery on others.