Suffering from Sleep Apnea?

For the doctor to decide if you are suffering from SLEEP APNEA LOS ANGELES, he/she will have to take into account the symptoms, signs, and sleep history. This means that you may get the help of someone who sleeps together with you or who is living in the household.

How to evaluate sleep apnea case?

You may be sent to the sleep disorder center where sleep specialist may help in determining if you require more evaluation.

The evaluation will require staying at the sleep center overnight so that the body functions and the breathing may be tested. The home sleep testing can also be used.  The tests used to know if someone is suffering sleep apnea are:

Nocturnal polysomnography:  when it is during the night, you can be hooked on some equipment which monitors the brain activity, lung, and heart or other breathing patterns. It will also test the level of oxygen.

Home sleep test: the doctor can offer home sleep tests, which are the simplified method to use to learn about sleep apnea.  The tests normally measure the blood oxygen level, heart rate, breathing patterns, and airflow.

When the results are not normal, then the doctor may prescribe a therapy without any need for another testing.  Some portable devices will not be able to detect each case of the sleep apnea, and in such case, the doctor may suggest that you get polysomnography,  regardless if the first results were normal or not.

In case you suffer obstructive sleep apnea, the doctor can refer you to the throat, nose, and ear doctor, so make sure that you are not suffering blockage in the throat and nose. The evaluation is done by a doctor or a heart doctor who understand about the nervous system, he may be asked to evaluate the sleep apnea case.

Treatment

For a mild case, the doctor may recommend that you do some life change, such as losing weight and quitting smoking.  In case you suffer nasal allergies, the doctor can recommend treatment for the allergies.

If such measurement does not work in improving the symptoms or signs, or if you are suffering severe or moderate apnea, the doctor may suggest other treatments.

Dental devices for sleep apnea

The doctor may suggest that you get dental appliance like tongue retraining mouthpiece and mandibular advancement devices.

MADs which are used in treating SLEEP APNEA LOS ANGELES look the same as the sports mouthguards or as orthodontic retainers. They do fit in a mouth through snapping over the lower and the upper dental arches, and they have the metal hinges that connect these two pieces.  One fit at upper teeth while another one fit at lower teeth.  This helps in preventing the throat muscle from collapsing in the airways, and it allows better breathing while sleeping.

Tongue retaining mouthpiece is the same as the construction of the MAD, but it has a small compartment which fits over the tongue with suction so that it can be kept forward and it prevents it against collapsing back in the airway.  Such a device is used in the patient who is not able to have the jaw repositioned in the right way.