People suffering from sleep apnea face breathing troubles when asleep due to the relaxing of the throat muscles that further interfere with their airway and sleep quality. When it happens, you suddenly wake up feeling choked. If such an event’s duration is under or up to 10 seconds, a person may not wake up. ENTs say these incidences can be attributable to diminishing oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide levels in the body. When the CO2 levels rise, the brain transmits a signal to the throat muscles for tightening so one can breathe normally before the next breathing pause occurs. The continuous experience with this can eventually make you get up feeling dizzy, sleepy, lightheaded, etc.
Sleep apnea can increase health risks like strokes, depression, high BP, fatigue, heart attack, etc. That’s why one must seek treatment. In Singapore, you would come across many ENT clinics that look into this issue. After all, about 15% of people in the country suffer from this. How do you select from them? Of course, the ENT has to be licensed and reputable. Other than this, you can explore diagnosis and treatment options.
Diagnosis
A thorough professional will evaluate your symptoms and sleep patterns. An ENT may want to examine your body functions, including breathing, while you sleep. For this, they can recommend tests like polysomnography. During sleep, it will check your brain, lung, heart, leg, arm, and oxygen movement. Some may also recommend home tests based on the analysis of your problem. If tests reveal the symptoms, they will suggest therapies. Most ENTs treat obstructive sleep apnea, one of the three common types. They examine the throat or nose for signs of trouble. However, some recognized clinics can also handle Central Sleep Apnea and Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Visit https://drkhliment.com.sg once.
Treatments
Talking of therapies, a highly celebrated professional will have all the best solutions for your health. For instance, patients with mild or serve sleep apnea may need continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. It includes a CPAP machine and mask. The machine releases air pressure through the mask so the upper airway paths in your body remain open, allowing the smooth flow of oxygen. Some people take time to acclimatize to CPAP treatments. Those who find it uncomfortable may rely on wearable oral appliances. These are easier to use but less efficient than the previous one. If these don’t work out, your ENT may recommend surgery for tissue removal, jaw positioning correction, nerve stimulation, etc. In some cases, nasal allergies can be the culprit. In that case, they can suggest allergic rhinitis treatment.
To be precise, any leading ENT clinic will use updated technology for testing and treatments. You can ask the doctor about the solutions they provide. Ask how they determine if you have this specific problem. Someone experienced and skilled will elaborate to remove any confusion a patient may face. At the same time, they will address your fears, concerns, and anxiety. So, look at the doctor’s expertise, behavior, testing, treatments, etc. If satisfied, you can begin therapy under them to improve your health.
