Obstructive Sleep Apnea

By Eskender Beyene, MD

Bluepoint Medical Associates

. https://www.bluepointmed.com/

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious and very common condition that is characterized by repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep. It occurs when the soft tissue in the back of your throat relaxes during sleep and blocks the airway, often causing you to snore loudly.

These recurring obstructions or partial obstructions, called apneas or hypopneas, cause intermittent drop in oxygen and disturbed sleep leading to sleep apnea symptoms. These symptoms include daytime sleepiness, increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (heart attack and stroke), motor vehicle and occupational accidents, diabetes, hypertension and an overall reduction in quality of life.

The diagnosis of sleep apnea is established by a laboratory sleep study in a sleep center or by a home sleep test.

Properly treated sleep apnea decreases the severity of the co-morbidities, leading to improved health. It results in better sleep, feeling more refreshed, improved energy and resolution of daytime sleepiness.  Additional benefits include significant improvement in controlling high blood pressure, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke and improving glucose control in patients with diabetes.

Sleep apnea is treated with life style changes, surgery, dental appliances, CPAP therapy and implantable neurostimulation technology known as Inspire^® therapy.

Losing weight, changing the position you sleep in, or exercising regularly can help people with mild sleep apnea and those who have airway obstructions when sleeping on their back.

Surgery works by making the airway larger by removing certain soft tissues of the airway and sometimes realigning bony structures of the face or jaw.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard therapy for sleep apnea. CPAP works by blowing pressure into the airway via a face mask attached to a bedside flow generator. This prevents the repetitive collapse of the airway that occurs during sleep.

Dental appliances are another option for patients with mild or moderate sleep apnea and those who cannot tolerate CPAP. The dental appliance works by pushing the jaw forward and preventing the tongue from blocking the throat.

Another option is Inspire therapy.  This is an FDA approved, first of its kind technology, that has been clinically proven to significantly reduce sleep apnea events and improve quality of life. It works by surgically placing a small pacemaker in your body that delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles, which keeps the airway open while you are sleeping.