Don’t ignore that snore Obstructive sleep apnea can be a potentially life-threatening disease

Don’t ignore that snore

Obstructive sleep apnea can be a potentially life-threatening disease

    Do you feel tired and sleepy even after a full night’s sleep? Do you snore all night, breathe through the mouth, and feel fatigued the next day? If you have an affirmative answer to these, then you are probably suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.
Though snoring while sleeping is not considered to be unusual, not many know that excessive snoring is a serious health problem that can lead to grave complications, if not treated in time.
WHAT IS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA Dr Kaushal Sheth, ENT surgeon, states that sleep apnea is a serious disease, “People develop sleep apnea when their airway collapses partially or completely during sleep due to various medical conditions. This causes the oxygen levels in the blood to decrease, and can be potentially life-threatening when it becomes obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).”
OSA causes cardiac problems, high blood pressure, stroke and a rise in blood sugar levels. Dr Jayashree Todkar, bariatric surgeon and
obesity consultant, says that obese or overweight people are usually more prone to snoring. She says, “Snoring is an indication of obstacles in a person’s breathing. When excessive fat accumulates around the stomach, the lungs do not get enough space to expand when we inhale oxygen. This leads to obstacles in the process of inhalation and exhalation. Similar problem occurs due to the accumulation of excessive fat around one’s neck and throat. This problem, if compounded, leads to sleep apnea (suffocation in sleep). Almost 80% of obese people are victims of sleep apnea.”
    The biggest danger for those affected by sleep apnea is the lack of oxygen and excess of carbon dioxide that occurs in a person’s body due to the same, say experts. This leads to the brain becoming passive/inactive and thus, such persons tend to sleep for much longer as compared to other normal, healthy people. People affected by sleep apnea also tend to toss and turn a lot in their sleep – they do not get a consistently peaceful sleep. Also, instead of feeling fresh, they feel tired and sleepy after waking up in the morning. Such people are prone to dozing off at the slightest instance. The most serious offshoot of this ailment is that victims of sleep apnea can forget to inhale and exhale in their sleep, and thus drop dead all of a sudden!
CAN IT BE CURED?
    In 90% of the cases, where there is an obstruction to the airway, it can be cured completely. Surgery helps to open up and widen the airway, which was earlier collapsing partially or completely during sleep. Thus, the blood oxygen levels improve significantly, leading to a better quality of sleep and control of hypertension and diabetes status. Surgery also helps those patients who cannot adapt or tolerate CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines.
OPTING FOR SURGERY? HERE IS WHAT YOU
NEED TO KNOW…
    A proper detailed diagnostic workup, which includes Polysomnography (sleep study) followed by DISE (Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy) to find the type and site of airway obstruction during sleep, is mandatory.
    Surgical modalities of treatment include Robotic Surgery for OSA. Coblation assisted surgical procedures of the airway also give good results and provide a better longstanding control of OSA.
    However, patients who are not good surgical candidates or who do not want to undergo these procedures can opt for the CPAP machine, which is the gold standard for treatment of OSA.
    debarati.sen@timesgroup.com 
Obstructive Sleep Apnea It is a potentially life-threatening breathing disorder during sleep, wherein the upper airway partially or completely collapses leading to decreased blood oxygen levels and complications.
Symptoms of OSA 1. Snoring 2. Daytime drowsiness and fatigue 3. Irregular breathing during sleep 4. Morning headaches 5. High blood pressure 6. Dry mouth and throat 7. Attention deficit disorders in children 8. Recurrent tonsillitis 9. Mouth breathing in children

Incessant snoring could mean you are suffering from serious disease that need immediate medical attention