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Obstructive Sleep Apnea

What Happens in Your Throat When You Have OSA

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - breathing during sleep is interrupted for 10 seconds or more at least five times per hour.

Obstructive apnea (OSA) is a common disorder in our society. It affects approximately 18 million people only in United States.

Obstructive apnea often remains unrecognized and untreated by the specialists, despite the evolution of medicine over the last years.

How can you recognize obstructive sleep apnea symptoms?

Firstly, you need to see this video to be sure that you understand what I am writing here. If a picture is worth a thousand words, sleep apnea videos can sometimes leave you speechless.

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OSA is caused by a blockage in the airway. This blockage could result from a combination of biological factors and deficiencies in the breathing reflex, such as:

enlarged adenoids

loss of the muscle tone in the tongue and throat

abnormality in the breathing reflex during sleep

abnormal structure of the nose (deviated nasal septum)

enlarged tonsils

enlarged uvula (the small tissue that dangles in your throat)

an unusually small airway opening

a short neck or short lower jaw.

A combination of these features can help cause OSA.

You can learn more about causes of obstructive sleep apnea in this video:

Hint: Did you know that such abnormalities can be seen in head radiograph of people with obstructive apnea? You can learn more about this in a sleep center.

The strongest risk factor which may cause obstructive sleep apnea is body weight.

The main reason is that overweight people have fatty deposits in the throat tissue. This fat can narrow the upper airway.

Another reason is the poor operation of the breathing reflexes, due to extra weight on the abdomen muscles.

If you have motivation to lose weight without surgery, I recommend to take a look on this page. I'm sure you'll find something interesting and helpful.

In conclusion, pay attention to your body weight, because obesity is the strongest risk factor for OSA.

Why obesity is a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea?

Simple! The fat distribution increase the neck circumference and the upper body. Is harder to breathe with fat deposited in the upper airway.

This type of obesity is more common in men. Women have fat located to the hips and thighs, so men are in majority to have OSA. The thicker the neck, the bigger chance to have sleep apnea.

Did you know you can't diagnose obstructive apnea without help?

Most of the time, your bed partner will see that you have breathing problems in sleep, like loud snoring or pauses in breathing.

Here a short explanation of obstructive apnea diagnosis for your bed partner or whoever lives with you. You can find this lesson with symptoms a good tip for your partner.

Help him to help you!

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment

OSA is treated by removing the blockage from your airway. This can be done with:

sleep apnea machines

surgery

weight loss

positional therapy for sleep apnea

dental devices

alternative cures for obstructive apnea

It is very important for a doctor to determine very carefully which of the factors are responsible for your sleep disorder, to choose the most effective treatment.