Ignoring sleep disorders like sleep apnea can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. If you suspect you may have a sleeping disorder, Charles F. Lano, Jr., MD, at Hill Country Ear, Nose & Throat offers sleep apnea diagnosis and treatments in New Braunfels, Texas. Take the steps needed to get a good night’s sleep, call Hill Country Ear, Nose & Throat or schedule an appointment online today.
Sleep apnea occurs when your breathing starts and stops during your sleep. This disrupted breathing causes the oxygen levels in your blood to drop, straining your cardiovascular system and leading to potentially dangerous health problems like high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
Types of sleep apnea include:
Several factors can cause sleep apnea, such as being overweight, having a narrowed airway, and nasal congestion due to anatomical problems or allergies. You’re also more likely to develop sleep apnea once you reach middle age.
Common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
Sleep apnea not only disrupts your own sleep, it can disturb those around you, causing loved ones to also become sleep deprived.
At Hill Country Ear, Nose & Throat, Dr. Lano specializes in sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. For mild cases, he recommends lifestyle changes like weight loss and smoking cessation. In moderate to severe cases, Dr. Lano might suggest a variety of treatments, including:
CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines use a mask placed over your nose to supply air pressure while you sleep to keep your upper airway passages open.
Similar to a CPAP, a mask is worn while sleeping. A BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) uses continuous positive airway pressure to automatically adjust inhaling and exhaling pressure while you sleep.
These devices keep your throat open by adjusting your jaw placement into a forward position.
Surgical procedures remove tissue or blockages that cause snoring or impede breathing.
Central and complex sleep apnea requires a variety of approaches, including better managing existing medical conditions that include the heart or neuromuscular disorders.
Dr. Lano might also recommend supplemental oxygen, CPAP or BiPAP therapy, or adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV), which is a recently approved airflow device that records your normal breathing pattern and stores it in a computer. Once you fall asleep, ASV uses pressure to normalize your breathing pattern.
Call or schedule an appointment online today to learn more about sleep apnea treatments.