Treatment For Sleep Apnea Including A Sleep Apnea Machine
There are many patients that suffer from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when breathing is interrupted by several different means. In one form of sleep apnea, a patients muscles in their throat relax and cause the airway to become tighter and preventing the air from flowing through easily. This type results in a patient waking up and then going back into their deep sleep, but allows for the throat to open back up during that wakeful period.
The other kind of sleep apnea actually has to do with the brain and the signals that it is sending to control breathing. These signals can get disturbed causing sleep apnea to occur. Again with this type, a person is awakened in order to re-set the breathing pattern. For these patients though, they do realize that they are waking up repeatedly throughout the night. Some patients even have a combination of the two types of sleep apnea.
There are treatments for sleep apnea, and a doctor may suggest a sleep apnea machine that will help a patient through the night.
A Sleep Apnea Machine
A sleep apnea machine may be suggested in order to help with this condition. There are several types of sleep apnea machines that can be used. A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is one type of sleep apnea machines that is used. This sleep apnea machine is somewhat large, a mask is placed over the nose and oxygen is pumped through the mask at a steady rate. This pressure keeps the airway open and prevents sleep apnea from occurring.
Another type of sleep apnea treatment is an oral device that is constructed to fit into a patient's mouth that pulls the jaw forward and again prevents the throat from closing. This type of device is smaller and easier to use than the larger sleep apnea machine but it can take some trial and error to make it work correctly.
No matter what type of sleep apnea device is suggested, don't just stop using it if it is uncomfortable. Make sure to contact your physician if it is uncomfortable before deciding to stop using it. Sleep apnea can be treated, if non-surgical means are not working than it may be time to look into surgery. Surgery may be needed if a patient has something obstructing their airway.
Sleep apnea can be a serious condition and should be evaluated by a physician to find the right course of treatment for a patient.
