Sleep apnea causes breathing to pause several times each night, resulting in a lack of oxygen. It can lead to serious health issues, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
The ear, nose and throat doctors at UT Southwestern’s Sleep and Breathing Disorders Clinic expertly diagnose and treat all types of sleep apnea dallas. Loud snoring is the most common indication that you may have obstructive sleep apnea.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common form of sleep-disordered breathing. It is characterized by episodes of airway collapse, resulting in recurrent oxygen desaturations and arousals from sleep. It results in fragmented, nonrestorative sleep and has serious implications for cardiovascular health, mental illness, quality of life and driving safety.
While snoring is a major symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, many patients do not realize they have the condition. They may be woken frequently by a loud snoring and experience daytime drowsiness, headaches and trouble concentrating.
If you or a loved one is exhibiting these symptoms, it is important to schedule a visit with a Dallas ENT to learn if they have obstructive sleep apnea dallas. Our specialists will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the patient and determine the severity of the sleep disorder. The gold standard for diagnosis is polysomnography, a test that involves sleeping overnight in a sleep lab connected to multiple sensors that monitor brain activity, heart rate, eye movement and blood oxygen levels. Home sleep apnea testing is also available for some patients under the guidance of a trained healthcare professional.
How Does OSA Affect Me?
People with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly each night, sometimes for several seconds. These pauses cause oxygen levels to fall and can lead to a buildup of carbon dioxide in the body. The brain responds to this buildup by waking you just enough to restart breathing. This interrupts restful sleep and causes daytime sleepiness and other symptoms.
Obstructive sleep apnea can affect people of all ages. Factors that increase the risk include excess weight, sex (men or people assigned male at birth are more likely to have OSA), and certain anatomical features of the head and neck such as a large tongue, narrow throat, or enlarged tonsils and adenoids.
Symptoms can be diagnosed by taking your medical history, doing a physical exam, and asking about your bedtime habits and daytime sleepiness. A health care provider might also recommend an overnight or home sleep study to monitor your breathing and other symptoms. Some prescription medicines like sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs can make sleep apnea dallas worse.
What Are the Symptoms of OSA?
People with OSA experience a pattern of interrupted breathing during sleep that can lead to physical problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease. It can also affect their mood and relationships, which is why it is important to seek treatment if you suspect you have this condition.
Most of the time, the symptoms of OSA are caused by the partial or complete blockage of the airway, resulting in snoring and fitful sleep. Those who have been diagnosed with this disorder often describe feeling tired, irritable and unrested throughout the day. They may also suffer from memory problems and have difficulty concentrating.
People with a number of medical conditions, such as heart failure or diabetes, have an increased risk of developing OSA. Being overweight also increases the likelihood of having this disorder, especially if fat deposits increase the size of the tongue or throat. Taking medications, like corticosteroids or sedatives, can also raise the chance of having OSA.
How Can I Get Help for OSA?
Many people who suffer from OSA feel excessively tired during the day and snore loudly at night. In addition, they may have trouble concentrating and memory loss. Untreated, these symptoms can lead to a variety of health complications.
To diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, doctors collect a person’s medical history and ask about both nighttime and daytime symptoms. They also perform a physical exam and look for risk factors such as obesity, neck and waist size, and other physical features that increase the likelihood of OSA. They may refer a person for a diagnostic sleep study, or polysomnography, at a hospital, sleep center, or other facility.
Polysomnography measures a person’s breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and other body functions during an overnight stay in the lab. A full-night study is typically used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, but some people who are at high risk for the disorder might need a split-night sleep study. A home sleep study is also available.