Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after sleeping your usual amount of sleep you may have sleep apnea. Anyone who has been told that their snoring has gotten louder, has stopped breathing in their sleep, or has had a choking or gasping sensation should be screened for sleep apnea. The main types of sleep apnea are:

• Obstructive sleep apnea where the throad muscles relax
• Central sleep apnea where your brain doesn’t send the right signals to tell your body to breather normally
• Complex sleep apnea where the patient has both of the above types of sleep apnea

The most common cause of obstructive sleep apnea is excessive weight, known as obesity. It is related to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity. These conditions can be improved and even prevented with adequate treatment of OSA. ​ Other causes include:

• Enlarged tonsils
• Dental conditions like an overbite
• Birth defects such as downs syndrome

The link between obesity and sleep apnea is very well established. Although losing weight can be difficult, this is typically the first route for an obese individual. OSA diagnosis can be done in the home or office setting or with a sleep study.

The CPAP machine is another first line sleep apnea treatment for patients. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. A CPAP machine pushes air down the throat when you breathe to keep your throat from closing.

About half of our patients who try CPAP don’t stick with the treatment which takes some getting used to. Another alternative is an oral appliance where a plastic insert in the mouth prevents the tissues in the back of the throat from collapsing over the airway during sleep.

OSA diagnosis can be done in the home or office setting with a sleep study.