You might not think of snoring as a severe medical condition, but it can be. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition where your body struggles to breathe during the night because of blocked or partially blocked airways. If left untreated, these conditions will worsen over time. In Commack, NY, snoring experts are willing to help you kick it out. Aim at the best Commack snoring solutions.
What Causes Snoring?
Snoring is caused by various things, including smoking, drinking alcohol, being overweight, and sleeping on your back. But the most common cause is obstruction of the airway, usually because the soft tissues in the back of the throat vibrate as you breathe.
How Is It Treated?
There are a few ways that snoring can be treated, depending on the cause. If you’re overweight, your doctor may recommend losing weight. If you drink alcohol or smoke, they may advise you to stop. And if the root of the problem is an obstruction in your airway, you may need to see a specialist who can treat sleep apnea.
- Sleep apnea can be treated if it’s mild, moderate, or severe. The severity of the condition determines what treatment you need and how much benefit you’ll get from it. Here are some common treatments:
- Wearing a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine during sleep- this device keeps the airway open by blowing pressurized air into your nose, preventing obstructions from occurring.
- Using a dental device holds the jaw and tongue in place to avoid blocking the airway during sleep. You wear it while sleeping by people who have mild to moderate levels of sleep apnea.
- Surgery- sometimes, the only way to improve sleep apnea is surgery. It might mean removing nasal polyps, tonsils, adenoids, or excess tissue in the throat.
- Lifestyle changes can help you control your condition and prevent it from getting worse. If your doctor says that your snoring isn’t by sleep apnea, they may still prescribe lifestyle changes. It includes quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol. Drinking too much before bed can cause specific muscles in the throat to relax, which leads to snoring.
Is There Apnea Without Snoring?
A condition called central sleep apnea may cause someone to stop breathing for a short time during sleep, even if they aren’t snoring. It’s usually caused by a failure of the respiratory control center in the brain stem. This failure can happen because of injury or damage from being overweight or having heart disease.
Significance of Apnea Treatment
According to studies, sleep apnea people are more likely to suffer from depression, diabetes, and even complications during hospitalization. In most cases, the severity of each condition is directly related to how long they go untreated.
You may not realize that you have a severe medical condition until it causes health problems in your daily life. So if you’re having trouble sleeping, snoring, or breathing at night- see your doctor. They will help get you back on track.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms related to sleep apnea, you must seek medical attention. The earlier your condition is diagnosed and treated, the more likely treatment will be successful. It can deal with all other conditions associated with untreated obstructive sleep apnea.