Most sleep apnea patients are repeatedly awakened, but they do not know their snoring patterns or why they keep waking up, so it is usually difficult for them to recognize if they have apnea. The 5 points below can help you make a preliminary judgment:
Do you often feel dizzy and tired during the day, and want to sleep at any time, but you can't be refreshed after sleeping?
Has your partner noticed that you snore loudly and hold your breath when you sleep - the snoring suddenly stops and it takes a while to hear a "puff" of breath.
Do you have disturbed sleep rhythms and wake up frequently? Sometimes you may even wake up suddenly because you can't breathe, and you often feel stuffy in the chest or have difficulty breathing when you wake up.
Do you have high blood pressure or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
Do you have a BMI (BMI = weight kg / height squared)> 24, or a neck circumference> 40 cm?
If three of the above answers are "yes", then you are at high risk of sleep apnea syndrome and should go to a qualified hospital for sleep apnea monitoring as soon as possible and follow medical advice.
This is a machine that acts like an air pump. The patient wears a mask to sleep and it blows air at a certain pressure into the patient's nose and mouth to keep the airway open and maintain a normal breathing rhythm, which is called " noninvasive positive airway pressure ventilation therapy ". Doctors recommend that sleep apnea patients use this treatment at home every day, so that they can stop snoring and holding their breath.
Wearing braces to stop snoring
It is suitable for patients with snoring caused by chin recession, or patients with mild sleep apnea syndrome.
Surgical treatment
For patients with hypertrophy of mucosal tissue in the pharynx, narrow pharyngeal cavity, low soft palate, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, and severe apnea symptoms, surgery can be used to solve the airway narrowing problem.
Pharmacological treatment
It works mainly by improving the patient's obesity (removing dampness and phlegm), gastroesophageal reflux (clearing the bile and stomach), pharyngeal cavity oedema and chronic inflammation (decongesting the pharynx), as well as changing the muscle strength and improving the central drive ( awakening the mind and opening the body), and is particularly suitable for perioperative management to improve ventilation and body mass, as well as for patients without indications for surgery or those evaluated for very poor surgical efficacy. A final word of caution: No single treatment model is a panacea, and the need for a pap, surgery or medication should be decided under the guidance of a medical professional. In addition, it is important to build a good lifestyle, lose weight if you are obese, exercise and stop smoking and drinking.