Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that affects millions of people around the world. It is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep, which can lead to daytime drowsiness and other health problems. Obstructive sleep apnea OSA treatment can help reduce the severity of symptoms and improve overall quality of life.
OSA occurs when the airway becomes blocked during sleep, leading to shallow or paused breathing. Common OSA symptoms include snoring, gasping for breath during sleep, excessive daytime fatigue, and morning headaches. OSA can also cause serious health issues such as high blood pressure and heart disease if left untreated.
Treatment for OSA typically begins with lifestyle modifications such as weight loss, avoiding alcohol before bedtime, quitting smoking, avoiding certain medications that may worsen symptoms, sleeping on your side instead of your back or stomach. In some cases a doctor may recommend using a continuous positive airway pressure CPAP machine while sleeping to keep the airways open throughout the night.
Surgery is another option for obstructive sleep apnea treatment in some cases where lifestyle changes are not enough to reduce symptoms or if there are structural abnormalities causing blockages in the airway such as enlarged tonsils or deviated septum. Surgery aims to correct these issues so that normal breathing can occur without obstruction while sleeping.
