What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a very common sleep disorder in which a person stops breathing while sleeping. Approximately one third of all Americans have a sleep disorder. If you or your loved one has one of more of the following signs/symptoms please contact us to be evaluated for Sleep Apnea.

What are the signs and symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

• Snoring
• Pauses in breathing while sleeping
• Headaches in the morning
• Dry mouth in the morning
• Daytime fatigue/sleepiness

What are the risk factors?

• Male gender
• Large neck size (17 inches or greater for male, 16 inches for female)
• Obesity
• Deviated Septum/ nasal obstruction
• Large tonsils, tongue and uvula, small jaw
• GERD (heartburn)
• Smoking

What are the effects of untreated Sleep Apnea?

• Elevated blood pressure
• Increase risk of Stroke
• Heart arrhythmias and heart attack
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Severe sleep apnea can even lead to DEATH

How is it diagnosed?

Sleep apnea and other common sleep disorders are diagnosed during an overnight sleep study (polysomnography). Patients stay overnight in our sleep center where they are assigned a private room resembling a four star hotel room. Each patient is closely observed during their sleep via monitoring heart, lung and brain activity as well as breathing patterns, oxygenation and arm/leg movements. Once the sleep study is completed, one of our board-certified sleep specialists reviews the study and makes recommendations for treatment.

What is the treatment?

Our sleep specialist personally reviews the sleep study and forms an individualized treatment plan for each patient. The most common treatments for Obstructive Sleep Apnea are:

• CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine
• Lifestyle changes such as weight los
• Improvements in sleep habits and environment
• Oral Devices Surgery

What are the benefits of treatment?

There are multiple benefits of treating obstructive sleep apnea including:

• Improved Sleep
• Reduced anxiety
• Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke
• Increased productivity
• Better overall health

What are some other common sleep disorders?

• Insomnia
• Narcolepsy
• Central Sleep Apnea
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Periodic Limb Movement Disorder