How Do ENTs Treat Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition that affects around 40 percent of people at some point during their lives. It can result in many issues related to staggered sleeping patterns and some people who develop the condition will feel unwell. Not to mention the fact that sleep apnea usually occurs alongside snoring issues that can cause headaches for your partner and anyone else living in your home. In this article, you will find some information about the ways in which ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists treat sleep apnea. Hopefully, this will set the record straight and ensure you understand all the treatment solutions available.

CPAP treatment

Obstructive sleep apnea often requires you to wear a specialist device at night that opens your airway. That is usually a nasal mask that most ENT specialists will provide. The idea is that you will open the nasal cavity slightly and that should prevent snoring and ensure you manage to get a decent night’s sleep. Many overweight people will suffer obstructive sleep apnea at some point and so the audiologist or doctor will probably recommend that you try to diet and monitor your food intake. That treatment is called CPAP and it’s one of the most popular ways for sleep apnea sufferers to get some relief.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

Sometimes CPAP treatment isn’t enough to cure your snoring and obstructive sleep apnea issues. In extreme cases, ENTs will recommend that you undergo an operation to correct the problem. That is called Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and it involves removing tissue to open the airway and ensure you can breathe correctly at night. In some situations, ENTs might ask you to undergo a tonsillectomy too because that can further open the airway if the Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty does not provide the relief you require.

Pillar implants

The insertion of stiffening rods or pillar implants into the soft palate sometimes helps sleep apnea sufferers to resolve their problems without having to undergo surgery. In some instances, ENTs will also inject an irritating substance into any infected areas near the uvula because that can also make a difference. You should always listen to the advice of ENTs when it comes to selecting treatment options and let the professionals know if you’re the type of person who would do anything to avoid an operation. Sometimes there is no alternative than going under the knife, but there are usually lots of non-invasive options you could try first.

Now you know about some of the ways in which ENTs treat sleep apnea; you should feel a little better about your condition. Left untreated, sleep apnea could cause you to stop breathing during the night and some people even suffocate. So, it’s essential that you contact the experts and undergo an assessment as soon as possible. Medical specialists will work out the cause of your sleep apnea and then make the most suitable treatment recommendations. You just have to follow their advice if you want to recover and ease some of the symptoms.