Sleep apnea may sound like a simple and common condition that many people have but it can actually turn risky any time so it is important for all of us to know how we can be cured and get better sleeps at night!
So, can sleep apnea be treated? Yes, there are several ways to treat sleep apnea that can get rid of it permanently. Here’s a list of commonly used methods to treat sleep apnea today.
- Rapid Maxillary Expansion
- For children with obstructive sleep apnea. This process places an expandable brace on the roof of the mouth that increases the width of the upper jaw (maxilla).
- Over time, parents can adjust the brace using a special key to increase the amount of pressure for the teeth.
- Jaw Advancement Surgery
- For teenagers and adults. This process will surgically break the jaw bones, moved forward and then fixed properly with screws and plates and will change the person’s facial structure or profile.
- It might take months to recover.
- CPAP Machine Treatment
- Works for any age. Stands for “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device”
- The person diagnosed will have to use a mask connected to a machine that will force air to the obstructed airway from the oropharyngeal.
- The mask placed over the mouth or nose will blow air into the airway to help keep it open during sleep. Highly recommended and proven effective by majority of sleep apnea patient.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 2nd example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.
The bottom line is that there are many treatments for sleep apnea but it can be different depending on what truly causes it.
Most of the patients diagnosed with sleep apnea had underdeveloped or lack of proper growth of the upper and lower jaw. (Maxilla – Upper) and (Mandible – Lower).
Majority of treatments that can permanently cure sleep apnea involve surgeries but guarantees efficiency as long as the real cause of sleep apnea has been properly identified.
Unfortunately, sleep apnea cannot simply go away on its own for most cases.
Sleep apnea is not just a simple sleeping disorder, serious problems can occur if nothing is done to cure it. Educating ourselves about the risks that it may bring is one good way to understand its deadly nature.
What happens if sleep apnea is left untreated
Sleep apnea is a threat to your health and carries huge risks, so it’s important to treat it once you find out you have it. Check out this list that tells you what happens to untreated sleep apnea.
- Heart failure
- May lead to fatal conditions such as brain damages or even death
- Heart attack
- Can also be severely threatening
- Irregular heartbeat
- Worsens the ability to breathe
- Stroke
- Can leave permanent damage
- Diabetes
- Leaves you prone to more heart attacks
- High Blood Pressure
- Aside from your physical health, this can also affect your mental health and relationship with people around you including your work
- Increases ADHD
- Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus which is what happens when you have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Triggers depression
- The lack of sleep brought by sleep apnea causes depression, irritability, and other negative emotions
- Headaches
- You may wake up with a bad headache which will lead to other problems listed here
- Lack of daily energy
- As mentioned, your energy will be reduced since you are unable to sleep well.
The thing is, sleep apnea, if left untreated or worsened by other factors, can lead to death. Its risks can be fatal and leave permanent damage which is what we are trying to avoid.
If diagnosed with sleep apnea, one must consider treating the problem as soon as possible in order to prevent any unwanted scenarios related to your health.
When should sleep apnea be treated
If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, treatment should actually begin immediately. Allowing the condition to worsen may only leave you open for risks and can also result in more expenses.
How to tell if you have sleep apnea that needs treatment
One of the most common ways to identify sleep apnea is by conducting a “sleep study” wherein the patient will have to stay in a center where doctors and nurses would be observing their sleeping habits.
Not only the sleeping behavior, but other factors that could be a sign of sleep apnea as well. Here’s a list of sleep apnea signs to watch out for if you are not ready to go for a sleep study yet.
- Heavy snoring
- Maybe, it can be a sign of fatigue but snoring loudly and usually can be a sign of sleep apnea.
- Gasping for air during sleep
- The feeling of drowning without knowing it and suddenly you’re out of air. You may not be aware of this, but you may wake up for a few seconds just to gasp for air.
- This is because your brain will force you to wake up in order to save you from dying in your sleep because of the difficulty in breathing or sleep apnea.
- Insomnia
- Having trouble going to sleep because you have breathing problems that you may not notice
- Hypersomnia
- Having trouble staying awake in the morning because you were unable to sleep well due to your sleep apnea
- Waking up with a headache
- Sleep apnea can disturb your body’s “charging” state. Since you can’t sleep well, your body will use energy for means that can help you breathe which may lead to headaches.
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- With sleep apnea, the person tends to snore and keep their mouth open when gasping for air which leads to a dried up mouth once we awaken.
- Decreased ability to focus
- Sleep apnea can give lack of sleep which will also result in difficulty to focus on anything
- Feeling uncomfortable
- Your lack of energy due to sleep apnea can make you feel uncomfortable and irritable without your knowledge
- Suddenly stop breathing during sleep
- Your housemates should notice this and tell you about it. Sleep apnea can disrupt breathing that may last for up to 10 seconds which is already risky.
There are three types of sleep apnea that you may be diagnosed with.
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- The most common sleep apnea that can be present in all ages. When the breathing is obstructed due to various factors, is it because of obstructive sleep apnea which may require surgery
- Central sleep apnea
- When your brain fails to send the proper signals to your body to command it to “breathe”, it is because of central sleep apnea
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome
- This is the combination of the first two sleep apneas and also poses higher risks than a normal obstructed sleep apnea.
- It may also be more difficult to treat this not knowing the major cause of the condition
Knowing the risks, it’s more important to learn what can worsen sleep apnea to make treatments successful.
What can make sleep apnea treatment difficult
If you are trying to treat your sleep apnea, you should know what can also cause it. Treating the problem is pointless if the cause is not fully eliminated. These factors contribute to sleep apnea and should be noted.
- Obesity
- Can make breathing difficult even while asleep or not moving
- Hypothyroidism
- The condition wherein your body does not produce enough thyroid hormones, which is needed to control how to use energy received from food through metabolism. Bad metabolism can affect heartbeat and breathing.
- Acromegaly
- Opposite of hypothyroidism, acromegaly produces too much growth hormones which can affect your overall health including breathing.
- Allergies
- There are certain allergies that can worsen sleep apnea. Allergies that result with difficulty in breathing are the likes.
- Smoking cigarettes
- Excessive smoking can cause sleep apnea or worsen it
- Drinking liquor
- Too much liquor and drinking before going to sleep can cause sleep apnea.
- Drug usage
- Sedations or other types of drugs especially when being abused can result in sleep apnea or worse.
- Being male
- Observations reveal that males tend to have sleep apnea more than females
- Being old
- Observations also revealed that older adults are more prone to sleep apnea than younger ones due to more complicated health issues that may trigger sleep apnea
Other natural causes of sleep apnea can be a thick neck, narrow throat and having a round head. Avoid triggering your allergies or get medications for other conditions to reverse your sleep apnea.
Related Questions
- Can sleep apnea cause depression?
Yes, sleep apnea can cause depression. However, current studies say that it might be the other way around for some cases.
It can be that sleep apnea does not cause depression but rather, depression can cause sleep apnea. The logical explanation is because neurological conditions can disrupt brain functionality.
Our brain is responsible for sending signals to our body to function and breathe. So, it is entirely possible that depression can cause sleeping disorders such as sleep apnea since it clearly causes insomnia as well.
- Can sleep apnea cause you to gain weight?
Yes, it can cause you to gain weight beyond your control. Lack of sleep at night may lead to easy or uncontrolled weight gain. You will also wake up with lack of energy, which gives you less motivation to burn fat.
