Sleep Apnea Surgery
Types of Sleep Apnea Surgery and When They Are Used
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders, but sleep apnea surgery is only used in the most extreme cases. Sleep apnea causes breathing disruptions during sleep where sufferers can stop breathing hundreds of times each night. This can lead to serious health problems along with many a sleepy day at the office.
Most of the time, doctors treat sleep apnea with lifestyle changes or some type of breathing apparatus instead of using sleep apnea surgery. In the majority of cases, simple changes like weight loss, refraining from using alcohol before bed and sleeping on one’s side instead of their back can alleviate most if not all sleep apnea symptoms. Breathing masks like the CPAP system are also highly efficient at treating sleep apnea.
Some doctors will resort to sleep apnea surgery when other treatments fail to work and the sleeping problem is causing more serious health issues like high blood pressure and heart problems. Chronic sleep apnea is a serious issue because the sufferer actually stops breathing, which can cause death if it goes on for too long.
There are basically 3 types of surgery that are used to treat sleep apnea: tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or tracheostomy.
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty surgery is the most common surgery that is used as a treatment for sleep apnea. In this operation, the doctor removes tissue from the throat that is interfering with nighttime breathing. This frees up the airway and reduces the breathing problems caused by sleep apnea.
A tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy is done to remove the tonsils or adenoids, both of which can be enlarged. If tonsils and adenoids are too large, they may block airways while a person is sleeping which can lead to sleep apnea. Removal will open up the airway and make it easier to breathe while sleeping.
A tracheostomy is rarely used as a treatment for sleep apnea. This is the process of making a hole in the trachea, or windpipe. A tube is then placed into the hole in order for the person to breathe. This surgery has a 100 percent success rate in curing sleep apnea, but it is only used in extreme cases when nothing else has worked because it can lead to other health complications.
In some cases, a doctor may use a surgical procedure to remove problem-causing bone or tissue from the mouth and throat. Again, this type of surgery would generally only be used if other treatments did not work.
Some cases of sleep apnea are caused by obesity. One of the first treatments a doctor will usually recommend to an overweight person with sleep apnea is weight loss. In many cases this will help the problem immensely and may even cure it altogether. People who are seriously obese and have been unable to lose weight successfully on their own may turn to Bariatric surgery as a cure for sleep apnea.