If you find yourself frequently waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air, you’ll likely find that your professional life suffers because you are drowsy during the day. If your partner complains of your noisy snoring, then your personal life may suffer as well. Noisy snoring followed by pauses in breathing during the night are two classic signs of sleep apnea.
Untreated sleep apnea can lead to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, weight gain, impotency, memory problems, and headaches. The disruptions in your sleep cycle can also create daytime fatigue, which puts you at risk for a car wreck or workplace accident.
Health experts estimate that 22 million Americans have some form of sleep apnea, and a whopping 80% of those cases are either moderate or severe sleep apnea. You likely already understand the impact snoring and sleep disorders have on your life, but you may not be sure if you can nail your symptoms down as sleep apnea.
The most common factors demonstrated in those who suffer from sleep apnea are:
When diagnosing your sleep apnea, your sleep apnea specialist in Los Angeles will rely on a vivid description of your symptoms and your health history. If you have someone who has watched your convulsions in your sleep, then their account will also be very helpful to your diagnosis. Your ENT doctor can also narrow down your symptoms to different kinds of sleep apnea, which have different causes. From there, they can start putting together a path for the treatment of your sleeping problems.
Sleep apnea can have many causes, so it also comes with many different forms of treatment. Your treatment options can range from lifestyle changes to surgery; it all depends on what your doctor believes are the causes of your disorder and what treatment will resonate the most. Possible treatments offered by sleep disorder doctors in LA include:
Your breathing issues could be the cause of a deviated septum; the majority of Americans have a septum that is crooked, but only a few cases cause issues. If your blocked nasal airways are hindering your breathing during sleep, then your ENT doctor in Los Angeles can perform a septoplasty procedure to open your airways and ease your breathing.
Sinus problems should always be considered when diagnosing and treating snoring and sleep apnea. Oftentimes, these issues are interlinked and sinus surgery can eliminate both problems. Balloon sinuplasty performed with Westside Head & Neck is one of the best ways to improve breathing and eliminate snoring. The balloon sinuplasty treatment is an endoscopic procedure where the surgeon inserts a small catheter and sinus balloon into your nasal passage. The balloon widens your sinuses and will have little to no side effects. This procedure is widely popular because it’s over quickly and comes with a short recovery period.
A pillar implant procedure is a minimally invasive procedure where an ENT surgeon in LA inserts three to five fabric implants into the top of your soft palate. Your body’s natural response is to lift and stiff the soft palate, which promotes healthier breathing. Many patients choose this procedure because it takes less than thirty minutes and requires no general anesthesia or sedation in most cases.
Surgery is often a last resort for sleep apnea since it runs the risk of infection, so Los Angeles sleep apnea ENT doctors often suggest purchasing a supplemental device that can help mitigate the effects of your sleep apnea.
The most common sleep apnea device is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. This looks like a mask that goes over the nose and mouth and provides constant levels of pressure to the upper respiratory tract. Using a CPAP machine is a highly effective method for limiting obstructive sleep apnea, but you have to be sure to use it every night in order for it to work.
Supplemental oxygen can help you, as well. Since sleep apnea is caused by the lack of oxygen flowing into your body, using supplemental oxygen can help with central sleep apnea. By delivering oxygen to your lungs while you sleep, your body remains asleep without startling you awake.
One of the main ways people try to cope with their snoring and sleeping problems is by holistic lifestyle changes. Even if you undergo professional sleep apnea treatment in Los Angeles, your ENT doctor will still suggest that you make a few lifestyle changes.
The first of which is to lose weight. Sleep apnea often occurs in those who are overweight or who carry a lot of weight in their neck area, such as those with double chins. Even the slightest loss of excess weight can reduce constriction of the throat, which is a big cause of sleep apnea. It’s possible that keeping a healthy weight will keep your sleep apnea at bay while gaining weight can cause its return.
Avoiding alcoholic drinks and smoking can also improve your sleep apnea immensely. When you smoke or drink alcohol before bed, your throat muscles relax, which can cause you to momentarily stop breathing. Smokers are three times more likely to experience obstructive sleep apnea than those who don’t smoke.
Adjusting your sleeping position can greatly improve your sleep apnea. Sleeping on your back induces snoring because your tongue and soft palate often rest against the back of your throat, thus obstructing your airway. Staying on your side makes it easier to breathe while asleep. If you find yourself rolling onto your back, there are various commercial devices to purchase to keep you from rolling onto your back.
The board-certified ENT doctors of Westside Head & Neck treat all general conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. Every doctor under Westside Head & Neck has extensive training in the treatment of:
Even more serious conditions such as neck, mouth, and throat cancer can also be diagnosed and operated on by ENTs. We accept most PPO insurance plans, Medicare, and select HMO’s to keep hearing, swallowing, and breathing relief open to more Los Angelenos. Our two offices are located in Santa Monica and Culver City. To set up an appointment to discuss your ENT issues with any of our physicians at either location, please call (310) 361-5128 or email appointments@westsidehn.com.
