Sleep Apnea & Snoring Treatment Mumbai
Sleep Apnea is a common sleeping disorder marked by shallow breathing, pauses in breath and labored breathing punctuated by gasping or snoring sounds. Pauses in breath can last from several seconds up to minutes and can happen multiple times an hour. This results in a drop of blood oxygen level.
Snoring is the sound that is generated in the throat and nose due to turbulent airflow. Narrowing of the airway during sleep due to collapse of tissues disturbs the smooth flow of air and results in snoring. Snoring can present by itself or as a symptom of apnea. Snoring should be evaluated and managed at the earliest as it can lead to development of sleep apnea in the future.
The two main causes of sleep apnea are a blockage of the airway (OBSTRUCTIVE) and poor signals from the part of the brain responsible (CENTRAL) for directing the muscles that control breathing. These two causes may occur together, however sleep apnea caused by a collapsed or blocked airway, known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is the most common.
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Tiredness, Lethargy
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Snoring / Gasping
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Daytime Sleepiness
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Memory Loss
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Lack of Concentration
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Morning Headaches
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Weight Gain
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Irritability and Depression
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Male Gender
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Age over 40 Years
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Smoking
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Obesity
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Large Neck Size
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Alcohol Consumption
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Family History
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Post Menopausal Women
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Nasal Congestion
Untreated OSA can have serious health consequences which may even be life threatening. Some of the consequences include
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Stroke
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Hypertension
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Type 2 Diabetes
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Unexplained Nocturnal Death
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Cardiovascular Disease
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Depression
DIAGNOSING SLEEP APNEA
Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed, as the person experiencing the condition is asleep when the majority of symptoms occur. Doctors cannot positively diagnose sleep apnea during routine visits as an individual must be sleeping for the main indicators to be present. Typically, it is the family or friends of a person with sleep apnea who notice symptoms, such as choking sounds and pauses in breath during sleep, and can report it to the individual.
An overnight sleep study, performed by professionals through a polysomnogram (PSG), measures a number of factors including brain function, eye movement, heart rhythm and respiratory airflow in order to diagnose sleep disorders like sleep apnea. A person with clinically significant sleep apnea will demonstrate blood oxygen desaturation of three to four percent or more, and apneas, or pauses in breathing, of at least ten seconds at a rate of five or more episodes per hour.
MANAGEMENT OF SLEEP APNEA
Various management modalities exist for OSA. As per best sleep apnea doctor in Mumbai, the choice of treatment depends on patient history, anatomy, level of obstruction, severity of disease and patient preference.
ENT surgeries may be performed by the best sleep apnea doctor in Mumbai after careful evaluation to reduce or remove the obstruction. Nasal drops and medications may be given to reduce nasal congestion.
CPAP therapy remains the gold standard in OSA management. However, many patients are not comfortable using the CPAP and look for an alternative that is less invasive and easier to use and travel with.
Dental appliances called Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) are an effective alternative to the CPAP. They are worn over the teeth during the night while the patient sleeps. These appliances pull the lower jaw and tongue forward and increase the size of the airway and prevent it from collapsing. They are compact, user friendly and can travel with the patient. These devices are easily adaptable and usually cause zero to very few non-serious side effects that go away with use.
The best doctor for snoring in Mumbai will conduct a full exam and evaluate if the MAD or anti-snoring device is a suitable option for you. Contact us today to know more if you are searching for "sleep apnea doctors near me".
"Sleep is the best meditation" - Dalai Lama
