Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Treatment

man suffering sleep apnea

There's never anything more exhausting than waking up with a headache, feeling you've never slept. You may need to talk to an ENT doctor in Norman, OK, about sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, if this happens to you. Sleep apnea is a disease that prevents your breathing at night. After a night of sleep, snoring loudly and feeling exceptionally tired can be both variables that can tell you that you may have sleep apnea. There are three major kinds of sleep apnea:

Central Sleep Apnea

This occurs when your brain forgets to send the correct signals to your breathing muscles.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

When the throat muscles relax too much, you will discover this illness, which obstructs the airway. An ENT doctor in Norman, OK, can assist you to diagnose this.

Complex Sleep Apnea

This specific sleep apnea needs quick therapy as it implies both obstructive sleep apnea and central apnea of sleep at the same moment.

Sleep Apnea Treatment

The signs of the distinct sleep apneas often overlap, so an ENT doctor can assist to diagnose you with the correct one to get the therapy you need. There are some common signs of sleep apnea, including:

  • Gasping

  • Snoring

  • Breathing pauses in sleep

  • Dry mouth when waking up

  • Headache

  • Insomnia

  • Lack of sleep

Diagnosis

Your doctor may perform an assessment based on your signs and symptoms and a history of sleep that you can provide, if necessary, with the assistance of someone who shares your bed or family.

You will probably be referred to a center for sleep disorder. A sleep expert can assist you to identify your need for further assessment.

An assessment often includes monitoring your breathing and other body functions during sleep overnight at a sleep center. Home sleep testing may be an alternative as well. Sleep apnea testing includes:

  • Nocturnal Polysomnography - You're hooked to machinery during this exam that controls your heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg motions, and blood oxygen concentrations while you're sleeping.

  • Home Sleep Test - Your doctor may give you simplified tests to diagnose sleep apnea at home. Usually these tests measure your heart rate, blood oxygen, airflow and patterns of breathing.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

If you have sleep apnea, use a machine to get air pressure by a mask while you're sleeping may be beneficial. The air pressure is slightly higher than that of the surrounding air with CPAP (SEE-pap) and is just enough to keep your upper airway passages open, avoiding apnea and snoring.

While CPAP is the most common and reliable method of treating sleep apnea, it is cumbersome or uncomfortable to some people. Some people give up on the CPAP machine, but most people learn with practice to adjust the strap tension on the mask to get a comfortable and safe fit.

To find one that's comfortable, you might need to try more than one type of mask. If you have problems, don't stop using the CPAP machine. Check with your doctor to see what you can do to improve your comfort.

In addition, contact your doctor if, despite treatment, you are still snoring or start snoring again. If your weight changes, you may need to adjust the pressure settings of the CPAP machine.

Contact OKOA for ENT doctor in Norman, OK.

**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.

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