Interrupted breathing during sleep affects an estimated 30 million people in the U.S., yet many people don’t realize they have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) until a partner notices symptoms. When oxygen levels in the brain drop too low, this causes brief awakening, release of the throat obstruction, and resumed airflow—often with a loud gasp.
OSA is the most common type of sleep apnea, and when left untreated, it can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, and impaired daytime focus. Early diagnosis of sleep apnea in Pickerington, Columbus, and Westerville, OH, and appropriate treatment at The Ohio Center for Oral, Facial & Implant Surgery are essential for a healthy life!
Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by repeated episodes of complete (apnea) or partial (hypopnea) collapse of the upper airway, causing oxygen desaturation and/or sleep arousal. This disruption leads to fragmented, nonrestorative sleep.
Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP), an oral appliance for sleep apnea, and surgical interventions are the most frequently recommended treatments.
Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is a sleep disorder closely related to OSA. With UARS, throat tissues relax and narrow the airway, increase breathing resistance, and disrupt sleep, often leading to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Although UARS doesn’t meet the diagnostic criteria for OSA, labored breathing efforts cause brief, often unnoticed awakenings that impair sleep quality.
Central sleep apnea is a distinct disorder that is often associated with specific diseases or medications, although it shares some similarities with far more common OSA. This type of sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing caused by a lack of respiratory effort during sleep. Unlike OSA, breathing pauses are due to the brain failing to send signals to the respiratory muscles.
During a sleep apnea consultation at The Ohio Center for Oral, Facial & Implant Surgery, Dr. Manraj Bath will discuss your medical history and assess anatomic relationships in your maxillofacial region to help determine what’s causing your sleep apnea. A cephalometric (skull X-ray) analysis can determine if a small jaw or a large tongue that narrows your airway is the cause of the obstruction.
A nasopharyngeal exam uses a thin, flexible scope to visualize nasal passages and the throat, identifying obstructions such as a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, or a narrow airway. To confirm the extent of cardiovascular compromise and decreased oxygenation, Dr. Bath may recommend a sleep study to monitor you overnight.
CPAP machines use mild air pressure to make sure your airway doesn’t collapse when you breathe while asleep. CPAP may include a mask that covers the nose and mouth, a nose-only mask, or even prongs that fit into the nose. The machine also consists of a tube that connects the mask to the CPAP machine’s motor, which blows air into the tube, all of which can take a while to adjust to.
The goal of UPPP surgery is to open the upper airways by removing extra tissue in the throat responsible for the obstruction. Soft tissue that’s removed can include all or part of the uvula, parts of the soft palate, and tissue at the sides of the throat, and the tonsils and adenoids. This is typically only recommended when lifestyle changes and an oral appliance for sleep apnea haven’t resolved the issue.
Similar to UPPP, LAUPP offers a minimally invasive approach for treating sleep apnea. A laser is used to remove excess tissue from the soft palate and uvula, thereby reducing blockages in the throat and eliminating snoring vibrations. As with UPPP, sometimes the tonsils and adenoids are also removed.
During this procedure, Dr. Bath inserts a needle-like instrument into the soft palate, and energy is transmitted to the tissue to cause controlled damage. During the healing process, the area is stiffened and reduced, thereby decreasing snoring and mild upper airway resistance. This can be done at The Ohio Center for Oral, Facial & Implant Surgery under local anesthesia, and only takes about 10 minutes.
A specific type of orthognathic surgery called maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is a highly effective treatment for severe OSA that can often reduce or eliminate apnea and CPAP dependence. The procedure is performed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. Effective for a wide range of jaw structures, MMA involves precise jawbone cuts, controlled repositioning, and stabilization with plates and screws.
Over time, repeated apnea episodes and breathing cessation can increase the risk of high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, a heart attack, and a stroke. Sleep apnea also disrupts glucose metabolism, increasing the risk of insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes.
Although obesity increases the risk of sleep apnea, untreated sleep apnea can lead to weight gain by increasing appetite and promoting fat storage. Chronic fatigue can contribute to mood swings, depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and memory problems, while just over 20% of car crash deaths are attributed to sleep-deprived driving.
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