Somnoplasty is a lately develop method of treatment to treat sleep apnea as well as snoring problem. The word ‘Somn’ means ‘sleep’ while the ‘plasty’ stands for ‘surgical repair’.‘Somnoplasty’ is a different type of surgery as you do not need to go under the surgeons knife. To get this surgery done, you are not required to get hospitalised as the whole process consumes hardly an hour. It can be performed in the office of the doctor or in outpatient ward. In Somnoplasty, low powered and low-temperature radio frequency energy is used with a needle. At times, you may need to go through more than one treatment. Here it must be noted that unluckily this process is at present works best particularly in the cases of mild obstruction! Coagulation in the excess tissues is created. Thereafter, the tissue is reabsorbed so as to lessen the tissue’s volume and opening up the airway passage. You will have very little pain or bleeding. You will feel sensation of heat in your throat area because of the needle being used; however, it lasts only for a few moments. The tissue which is involved in the process can be in the upper airway area, the uvula or the tongue. You might feel some swelling and discomfort for a week after the treatment is performed. Also, you might feel difficulty in speaking if the tongue was involved in the treatment. But there is nothing to get scared of as most of this discomfort can be cured using the OTC (over-the-counter) medicines. Somnoplasty has proved as a successful treatment. The patients have experienced relief from apnea as well as daytime sleepiness. Also, about 80 percent improvement has been noticed in snoring problem. Similar to any other new process, Somnoplasty does have its critics. Some people jolt at the thought that a needle will be inserted into their throat to do the surgery. Also, there are people who get scared from the idea of remaining conscious during the process. In addition to this, there are also various other horror stories that run rampant such as the needle generates extreme heat and one has to suffer lots of pain and discomfort due to this procedure. However, keeping these rumors aside, if we consider the most part the procedure does seem to work. If compared to other surgical methods, it is far less painful and annoying. If the method really works as it has been demonstrated then no doubt that this method will be able to bring relief to lots of those who suffer from sleep apnea and snoring problems.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be treated in numerous ways. What needs to be looked at is the patient’s medical history, the disorder’s severity, and crucially, the exact cause of the airway blockage.
Kids that have OSA do so typically due to chronically enlarged adenoids and tonsils. Tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are successful at diminishing OSA substantially. The difficulty level associated with operations to reduce OSA in children can be very high, as for example with cases of reduced growth of the body alongside poor development of the right side of the heart. Fortunately, when OSA-associated high exhalation pressures are lowered complications to the cardiovascular system tend to reverse of their own accord. Careful precautionary practices are adhered to during the important postoperative period in children.
OSA treatment in adults who have poor oropharyngeal airways in combination with a large upper body frame are open to a variety of treatments. Unfortunately, this most common form of OSA tends not to have particular treatment methods that habitually work, each case needs specific evaluation over the best course of action.
Such methods for relieving obstructions consist of changes to the sufferer’s lifestyle, e.g. reducing alcoholic intake, avoiding medications that may relax the central nervous system (CNS) (e.g. sedatives, muscle relaxants), stopping smoking and reducing weight. Specially designed devices, such as pillows, that stop the sufferer from sleeping on their back can be effective in reducing OSA.
Oral appliances are sometimes used, these keep the patients airways open whilst they are asleep. Mandibular advancement splints (MAS) are sometimes advised to lessen mild to moderate OSA. MAS consists of a mouth guard, similar to that used with impact sports to protect the teeth, which holds the lower jaw a little more down and forward from its usual relaxed position. When in use the users tongue is moved farther from the back of the airways, possibly far enough so that some OSA sufferers are able to gain improved breathing.
When such methods fail to make enough of a beneficial impression GP’s will often suggest the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
CPAP comes in the form of a mask attached to the face which has a tube running from an air pump to the sufferer’s mouth and/ or nose, forcing controlled bursts of air through the obstructed air passageways and into the lungs. CPAP uses a constant air pressure found by performing an overnight test or ‘titration’ on the sufferer. Recent models of CPAP contraptions are able to reduce the exhalation pressure for improved performance and patient comfort.
Variable positive airway pressure (VPAP), known also as bilevel or BiPAP, monitors the patients breathing with an electronic circuit. Two different pressures are adopted here, inhalation has a higher pressure than exhalation. This system is more expensive than CPAP and is often used on people that have other respiratory problems or who find sleeping with higher exhaling pressures from CPAP difficult.
Automatic positive airway pressure (APAP) uses sensors that measure air pressure in conjunction with a computer that monitors the patient’s performance with breathing. Pressures exerted by the air pump are constantly adjusted, i.e. heightened when the user is finding breathing difficult, lowered when pressures are considered higher than necessary.
Various surgical ways of widening airways, or removing or tightening tissues in that area are used, the success rate tends to be low with these practices. In some cases patients adopt a combination of such therapies to reduce their OSA. Surgery is typically a last resort, used when none of the above, as well as other more experimental OSA reduction methods (e.g. pharmaceuticals like methylxanthine theophylline and modafinil, and neurostimulation e.g. pacemaker stimulation), have been deemed effective.
If you experience problems with snoring, you may have more problems than you bargained for. Snoring not only robs you of a decent nights sleep, it can antagonize those around you who have to listen to it . On the more serious side, there may be an underlying health issue that can be quite dangerous – sleep apnea. If you happen to suffer from this condition, there are some things that you can do about it.
Sleep Apnea actually comes in 2 forms. Obstructive which occurs whenever the muscles in your throat relax and end up blocking your ability to breathe and central which has to do with your brain not sending you the proper breathing signals and you end up not breathing for periods of time at night. Regardless of which type you suffer from, there are some natural things that you can do in order to overcome it. It is a serious situation and should be treated as such.
The most important thing that you can do in order to overcome the condition is to make some lifestyle changes. A huge contributing factor can often be excess weight on your body so shed a few pounds if you can. Another thing that you can to do is to avoid alcohol before bedtime as this can exasperate the symptoms. It might also be your sleeping position that is causing you to snore. Sleep apnea seems to strike more when people sleep on their backs so a switch to sleeping on your side or stomach may reduce symptoms. Keeping your nasal passages clear with some saline spray may also help you to breathe better through your nose and less through your mouth. It may take some effort on your part to overcome this life threatening condition. The good news is there are natural ways to manage it.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a very serious problem that can severely impede your wellbeing. OSAS can be defined as a breathing disorder in which the sufferer actually stops breathing completely for 10 seconds or more (termed an apnea) for up to five times per hour spent asleep. To ensure that the body gets the oxygen it requires the person asleep is awakened enough to enable the re-commencement of his/ her breathing, after which sleep resumes. Being deprived of deep sleep life-long cardiovascular stress coupled with daily exhaustion has a large negative effect on the sufferers health.
OSAS can be due to an obstruction of a persons airways. When asleep peoples muscles relax, some to the point where, due to a particular set of physical characteristics, an airway is sufficiently reduced in size to allow habitual blocking. One of the commonest causes can be a deviated septum.
The septum is the wall of flesh and bone that separates each nostrils chamber. Whether due to an accident or genetic defect/ similar this part of the body can be altered with modern surgical techniques, if other techniques fail (e.g. nasal strips), to alleviate the nostril blockages. Narrowings of the nasal cavity potentially threaten the draining of the mucus from the sinuses. Infections can result from drastic build-up of waste matter in the nasal cavity, further restricting airflow. Allergic rhinitis, e.g. hay fever, can also obstruct the nasal air passages through tissue swellings.
Electrosurgical probes or lasers can be used by trained surgeons to literally burn enlarged areas of obstructing skin within the nose away, typically an office procedure. This surgery is usually directed at the surface tissue or underlying tissue (sub-mucosa). Recovery of the nose tissue when the surface was operated on tends to take 3 or more weeks. If sub-mucosal surgery was adopted the recovery is generally shorter, at around 10 days maximum.
The cartilage or bone in the nose can be broken and left to set in its new and usually more natural position. If the source of the obstruction was the thickening of nose tissue the moved tissue/ bone often returns to its original position unfortunately.
Surgical scissors or the use of a laser can remove just the flesh around the septum (turbinate excision), or the bone as well (turbinate resection). After this type of surgery a gauze soaked with antibiotics is placed in the nostrils about the surgery area for several days to prevent infection.
Of the potential complications that can occur with surgery such as this, over bleeding may result if the nose is not packed with enough sterile absorptive material. This is generally a potential problem with turbinate resections. Resections of the turbinate can also possibly end with the tissues being irreversibly dried out through too many of the blood supplying vessels having been damaged. General healing of the nose, often involving the accumulation of dried blood blocking the airways, can take longer than expected e.g. 4-6 weeks.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a very serious problem that can severely impede your wellbeing. OSAS can be defined as a breathing disorder in which the sufferer actually stops breathing completely for 10 seconds or more (termed an apnea) for up to five times per hour spent asleep. To ensure that the body gets the oxygen it requires the person asleep is awakened enough to enable the re-commencement of his/ her breathing, after which sleep resumes. Being deprived of deep sleep life-long cardiovascular stress coupled with daily exhaustion has a large negative effect on the sufferers health.
OSAS can be due to an obstruction of a persons airways. When asleep peoples muscles relax, some to the point where, due to a particular set of physical characteristics, an airway is sufficiently reduced in size to allow habitual blocking. One of the commonest causes can be a deviated septum.
The septum is the wall of flesh and bone that separates each nostrils chamber. Whether due to an accident or genetic defect/ similar this part of the body can be altered with modern surgical techniques, if other techniques fail (e.g. nasal strips), to alleviate the nostril blockages. Narrowings of the nasal cavity potentially threaten the draining of the mucus from the sinuses. Infections can result from drastic build-up of waste matter in the nasal cavity, further restricting airflow. Allergic rhinitis, e.g. hay fever, can also obstruct the nasal air passages through tissue swellings.
Electrosurgical probes or lasers can be used by trained surgeons to literally burn enlarged areas of obstructing skin within the nose away, typically an office procedure. This surgery is usually directed at the surface tissue or underlying tissue (sub-mucosa). Recovery of the nose tissue when the surface was operated on tends to take 3 or more weeks. If sub-mucosal surgery was adopted the recovery is generally shorter, at around 10 days maximum.
The cartilage or bone in the nose can be broken and left to set in its new and usually more natural position. If the source of the obstruction was the thickening of nose tissue the moved tissue/ bone often returns to its original position unfortunately.
Surgical scissors or the use of a laser can remove just the flesh around the septum (turbinate excision), or the bone as well (turbinate resection). After this type of surgery a gauze soaked with antibiotics is placed in the nostrils about the surgery area for several days to prevent infection.
Of the potential complications that can occur with surgery such as this, over bleeding may result if the nose is not packed with enough sterile absorptive material. This is generally a potential problem with turbinate resections. Resections of the turbinate can also possibly end with the tissues being irreversibly dried out through too many of the blood supplying vessels having been damaged. General healing of the nose, often involving the accumulation of dried blood blocking the airways, can take longer than expected e.g. 4-6 weeks.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a very serious problem that can severely impede your wellbeing. OSAS can be defined as a breathing disorder in which the sufferer actually stops breathing completely for 10 seconds or more (termed an apnea) for up to five times per hour spent asleep. To ensure that the body gets the oxygen it requires the person asleep is awakened enough to enable the re-commencement of his/ her breathing, after which sleep resumes. Being deprived of deep sleep life-long cardiovascular stress coupled with daily exhaustion has a large negative effect on the sufferers health.
OSAS can be due to an obstruction of a persons airways. When asleep peoples muscles relax, some to the point where, due to a particular set of physical characteristics, an airway is sufficiently reduced in size to allow habitual blocking. One of the commonest causes can be a deviated septum.
The septum is the wall of flesh and bone that separates each nostrils chamber. Whether due to an accident or genetic defect/ similar this part of the body can be altered with modern surgical techniques, if other techniques fail (e.g. nasal strips), to alleviate the nostril blockages. Narrowings of the nasal cavity potentially threaten the draining of the mucus from the sinuses. Infections can result from drastic build-up of waste matter in the nasal cavity, further restricting airflow. Allergic rhinitis, e.g. hay fever, can also obstruct the nasal air passages through tissue swellings.
Electrosurgical probes or lasers can be used by trained surgeons to literally burn enlarged areas of obstructing skin within the nose away, typically an office procedure. This surgery is usually directed at the surface tissue or underlying tissue (sub-mucosa). Recovery of the nose tissue when the surface was operated on tends to take 3 or more weeks. If sub-mucosal surgery was adopted the recovery is generally shorter, at around 10 days maximum.
The cartilage or bone in the nose can be broken and left to set in its new and usually more natural position. If the source of the obstruction was the thickening of nose tissue the moved tissue/ bone often returns to its original position unfortunately.
Surgical scissors or the use of a laser can remove just the flesh around the septum (turbinate excision), or the bone as well (turbinate resection). After this type of surgery a gauze soaked with antibiotics is placed in the nostrils about the surgery area for several days to prevent infection.
Of the potential complications that can occur with surgery such as this, over bleeding may result if the nose is not packed with enough sterile absorptive material. This is generally a potential problem with turbinate resections. Resections of the turbinate can also possibly end with the tissues being irreversibly dried out through too many of the blood supplying vessels having been damaged. General healing of the nose, often involving the accumulation of dried blood blocking the airways, can take longer than expected e.g. 4-6 weeks.
If you’ve been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by stoppages in breathing as you sleep, one of the treatments you may be offered is CPAP. The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure treatment is usually the first choice prescribed by many OSA specialists. While it is a successful way to treat OSA, many people have problems with continuing to use it.
Because it requires a mask that fits over the mouth and nose each night while the OSA sufferer sleeps, there are several unwanted side-effects of using it. Many CPAP users report they can only tolerate it for four hours a night. Users complain of facial breakouts due to the straps, eye irritation, runny nose, dry mouth, and sore throats. Because the mask is hooked up to a machine by an attached hose, patients who are more comfortable sleeping on their stomachs may also have trouble. The noise coming from the machine is also problematic to many.
Alternatives
After being diagnosed with OSA, discussing your treatment options with a sleep apnea specialist or sleep apnea dentist is your best bet to avoiding CPAP. And there are several options available.
Oral Appliance Therapy – These are devices that are custom-fitted to minimize OSA and snoring (one of the symptoms of OSA). They are worn like an orthodontic appliance, or mouth guard, and keep the soft tissue from collapsing and blocking your airway. They are also designed to keep your tongue in place and out of the way of your throat. Devices such as SomnoMed MAS, Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP), and many more are highly successful in treating OSA.
Behavioral Therapy – Many patients with OSA may find that simply changing behaviors in their lifestyle can cut down or completely eliminate instances of sleep interruption. Individuals who smoke, consume alcohol on a regular basis, or are overweight may find that giving up these habits or losing weight will help. Improving your diet, avoiding certain antihistamines before bed, or putting a humidifier in your bedroom are also easy improvements.
Medication – Snoring is not necessarily an indication that you have OSA, but it is a symptom. There are herbal medicines that use natural plant enzymes or herbs to help eliminate snoring. These “anti-snoring pills” reduce congestion and swelling in the nose and throat. When you are able to breathe easier, you are less likely to snore or awake unable to breathe. Other medications include prescribed nose drops or sprays and aromatherapy.
Surgery – Though surgery should be the last resort in treating OSA, this may be the most beneficial treatment for some people. The goal of OSA surgery is to increase the size of the airway. This makes it easier for you to breathe as you sleep without interruption. Different surgical procedures include a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, tongue reduction surgery, or a tracheotomy in severe cases of OSA.
OSA is a potentially dangerous condition. The risks of having an untreated condition may increase your chances of heart attack or stroke. If you believe you may have obstructive sleep apnea, you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
Sleep Apnea is a disorder that commonly affects more than 12 million people in the United States. While the exact cause of remains unclear, what’s known is that the site of obstruction in most patients is the soft palate, including the area at the base of the tongue.
During the day, muscles in the region keep the passage open and clear; but since there’s no bone or cartilage in this area to hold the airway open, when a person with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) falls asleep, the muscles relax and the airway collapses.
Besides interrupting sleep and causing disorientation and “fogginess” during the waking hours, the dangers to overall health are many.
The primary risk factors for OSA are:
Excessive Weight – The accumulation of fat on the sides of the upper airway cause it to become narrow and predisposed to closure when the muscles relax.
Age – Loss of muscle mass is a common consequence of the aging process, leaving the airway narrow and soft. Men have a greater risk for OSA.
Male Hormones – Testosterone can cause structural changes in the upper airway.
Other risk factors include: A receding chin… Enlarged tonsils and adenoids… Use of drugs that affect the Central Nervous System (CNS) such as alcohol, tranquilizers, etc. … Smoking … Chronic nasal congestion… and several syndromes such as hypothyroidism, post-polio syndrome, neuromuscular disorders, Marfan’s syndrome, and Down syndrome, to name a few. Although to date there is no hard data to confirm this theory, it’s also believed that there’s a genetic factor involved.
The signs and symptoms of OSA are many and varied and many are not overtly medical. (For example, non-restorative sleep leads to such things as car accidents, bad moods, memory problems, depression and even impotence.)
Some common signs that you may have OSA are:
Loud Snoring – This is perhaps the most common sign that a person’s airway is obstructed, and the complaint that initially brings many undiagnosed OSA patients to their doctors for help. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but if other signs are present, as well, it’s a distinct possibility.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness – Some people with OSA fall asleep while reading or watching TV. Others experience powerful urges to doze off even in a stimulating environment, such as while driving or during business meetings – even while having sex!
Unrefreshing Sleep – Many OSA patients complain of waking up feeling as if they had been awake all night (usually, they have been, in fact). Then, if they try to refresh themselves with a nap, they usually feel worse after napping than they did before.
Drowsiness While Driving – Statistics show that many car accidents are caused by drivers either nodding off at the wheel or else being too sleepy to be alert.
Morning Headaches – Frequent, unexplained headaches are a common sign of OSA.
Frequent Nighttime Urination – Getting up to use the bathroom several times a night may be caused by an apneic event.
If your doctor does diagnose OSA, then you’ll be relieved to know that a CPAP sleep apnea machine will give you relief and protection as soon as you start using it.
There are many symptoms sleep apnea that are cause for concern. The most dangerous one is quite often the least able to detect: pulmonary pressures that are transmitted to the right side of the heart. This occurs in prolonged and untreated cases of sleep apnea and can end up turning into severe congestive heart failure. Since you probably don’t want congestive heart failure, I strongly suggest looking into the other more obvious symptoms of sleep apnea. By knowing what to look for in terms of less serious symptoms, you can prevent the more serious consequences of the sleeping disorder.
Some of the easier to notice symptoms sleep apnea include decreased sex drive, increased heart rate and getting up frequently in the middle of the night to urinate. These symptoms may also be indicators that your wife is ugly, you’ve just finished a marathon and you drank too much water before going to bed. Because they all are associated with other issues, you should only be concerned if they last for days at a time or if you’re experiencing all of them at once. Another thing to be weary of is esophageal reflux and heavy sweating at night. Again, these may also be symptoms of a poor diet and hot bedroom, but you can never be too careful when your heart is at risk. Don’t be afraid to call your doctor and ask if what you’re experiencing is normal.
The most obvious of all the symptoms sleep apnea is snoring in the middle of the night, interrupted by pauses in breathing that last 10 seconds or more. This can be hard to detect if you normally sleep alone, since you’ll rarely catch yourself snoring when you’re busy sleeping. However, if you do regularly sleep with someone, ask him or her of you gasp for air in between snores. Definitely a weird question to ask, but it’s a subject worth broaching. After all, it may just save your life.
For many years the first line of defense for children with sleep apnea and other forms of sleep-disordered breathing has been to remove both their tonsils and adenoids in a procedure known as an adenoidtonsilectomy and follow-up studies normally carried out about six weeks and three months after surgery generally show positive results. However, it has now been suggested that in many cases, if follow-up studies were again conducted one year after surgery, the results would be very different.Initial studies indicate that two groups of children in particular are showing a relapse or worsening of their original condition a year out from an adenoidtonsilectomy and one of these groups is children who have gained weight rapidly during the period. However, some poor outcomes have also been reported in children who do not gain weight rapidly and this is leading to a conclusion that sleep-disordered breathing may in fact be a chronic condition.Data at this point is somewhat limited (the study upon which this conclusion is based involved only 40 children) and certainly more studies will need to be carried out before any firm conclusions can be drawn. Nevertheless, the implication at this stage is that the traditional surgical route for children with sleep apnea perhaps needs to be re-thought.Well, before you start rushing out and looking for alternatives perhaps we should look a little more closely at just what has been found here.In the vast majority of cases the children whose condition worsened a year out from surgery had also gained weight very rapidly during this period of time and, in fact, were described almost in passing as being ‘obese’. So, is the problem perhaps not the result of an ineffective form of treatment but simply of obesity, which we already know is a major contributory factor in cases of sleep-disordered breathing?Obesity is now at epidemic proportions but has only recently started spreading like wildfire through our children and is not only leading to increased cases of sleep apnea, but is also being seen in an increasing number of children with diabetes, heart conditions and various other disorders.We live in an age when we are rightly thankful for advances in medicine but the race to come up with the latest medical breakthrough also often leads to the publication of studies and the expression of opinions without adequate evidence to back up their conclusions. This may well be the case here and so perhaps a cautious approach should be advised until we have more evidence to support some firm conclusions.