Archive for the ‘Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apnea’ Category

Hendersonville NC Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Hendersonville NC Obstructive Sleep ApneaLots of people haven’t heard that you can be tested for sleep apnea in the comfort of your own home now without going to a hospital or sleep clinic. At a cost that is significantly lower than laboratories, often by more than 50% many prefer the comfort of their own bed for the testing. Who wouldn’t? The last estimate was that over 20 million Americans suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. You can have Hendersonville NC Obstructive Sleep Apnea and not even realize it.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is one of two different types of sleep apnea. It occurs when air cannot flow into or out of the nose or mouth during sleep, even while efforts to breathe continue. Airway collapse may be due to such factors as a large tongue, extra tissue in the airway, or decreased muscle tone holding the airway open. As a result, air is prevented from getting into the lungs. These pauses in breathing can happen 30 times or more per hour. When healthy sleep is interrupted in this way, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other serious health conditions may increase. It’s imperative that Hendersonville NC Obstructive Sleep Apnea is treated if you have it and if you don’t know, but suspect you do, then you should be tested.

AeroFlow is an accredited Medicare and Medicaid provider and accepts most commercial insurances. They have a well-trained staff of professionals, including respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, and nurses. They provide 24-hour on-call service to all of their patients. If you have Hendersonville NC Obstructive Sleep Apnea you no longer have to go to a special clinic or hospital to be tested. Contact AeroFlow Inc. and their sleep specialists will tell you all about it.

Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apnea

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apneaPeople who are obese, snore heavily and are usually sleepy during the day may have obstructive sleep apnea. Lab studies can be done on the patient to confirm if this is the case. The symptoms and testing results will help to determine the severity of the sleep apnea. Once the patient has been properly diagnosed then Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apnea treatment solutions can be discussed.

If the sleep apnea condition is mild then the patient can begin some conservative sleep apnea treatments. Mild treatments might involve the patient eliminating the use of alcohol and sedatives, making diet changes in order to lose weight and the patient should avoid sleeping on their back.
The most effective Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apnea treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). If the patient is overweight and has a thicker neck, a higher-pressure setting will be required. As the patient ages or gains weight then more pressure will also be required.

If the patient has 20 or more breathing cessation episodes in an hour then they would be eligible for Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apnea treatment. A patient that has this many episodes could eventually experience a decrease in mortality. The number of sleep apnea episodes per hour is referred as the apnea-hypopnea index, it is also known as the respiratory disturbance index. However, if a patient with less than 20 episodes per hour is experiencing issues such as fatigue, sleepiness or serious complications such as heart failure they would also qualify for treatment.

Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apneaReduced nasal airflow will cause people to snore. Because of this, mouth-breathing resulting from nasal obstruction will increase the chances of a person snoring. Additionally, mouth breathing will cause the persons jaw to drop, which narrows the pharyngeal airway, which in turn could also cause obstructive sleep apnea.

Hendersonville NC obstructive sleep apnea treatments include raising the head of the bed and avoiding the supine position while sleeping. Elevating the head of the bed makes the persons tongue move forward and sleeping on the side will cause the tongue to move laterally. A mild sleep apnea sufferer will benefit more from conservative obstructive treatments. A person with a more severe case should use the conservative methods as well as more intrusive methods.