Have you been told that you’re a loud snorer? Or are you experiencing morning headaches, daytime tiredness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and dry mouth, or sore throat upon waking up? You could have what is referred to as sleep apnea— a potentially serious sleep disorder characterized by breathing disturbances.
The condition warrants prompt diagnosis and treatment from a sleep medicine specialist for effective management and prevention of complications, such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and heart failure.
In order to confirm a diagnosis, a sleep expert will recommend a sleep study (polysomnography or multiple sleep latency tests). Sleep studies are usually performed in a sleep laboratory, but your doctor may also provide you with simplified sleep tests that you can do at home, if necessary.
Based on their findings, your doctor will devise an appropriate treatment plan, which may include any or a combination of the following approaches:
Lifestyle Modifications
If you have a mild case of sleep apnea, your sleep doctor may start with the following lifestyle recommendations:
- Losing weight
- Developing healthy sleeping habits
- Exercising
- Limiting alcohol intake, if at all (not drinking hours before bedtime)
- Quitting smoking
- Sleeping on your side
Medications
Allergies, which can lead to blocked nasal passages, are notorious for exacerbating sleep apnea.
If you have allergic rhinitis, your doctor may first prescribe treatment for it and see if your condition improves.
Positive Airway Devices
Your sleep physician may recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) if you have moderate to severe sleep apnea. Both devices can help to open up a blocked airway, allowing you to breathe easily while sleeping. They deliver air pressure into your nose and mouth, through a mask, keeping your upper airway passages open to prevent breathing interruptions and snoring.
Integrative Sleep Medicine
Integrative sleep medicine is a holistic approach to treating sleep disorders. If your sleep doctor is a proponent of holistic medicine, they may recommend alternative therapies, such as drinking ginger and honey tea (to help soothe your throat), taking nutraceuticals, and/or doing yoga, breathing exercises, or mindfulness meditation to help you breathe better when you sleep.
Sleep Expert in Weatherford, Texas
For effective sleep apnea treatment in Weatherford, visit us at the Lung & Sleep Specialists of North Texas. Dr. Olusegun Oseni, our board-certified internal medicine physician, is the proud recipient of 360 West Magazine’s Top Sleep Medicine Physician Award for this year. Now you know you’re in very good hands and why scores of patients gravitate to our practice!
What’s more, we have a full-service durable medical equipment (DME) department that provides services and supplies for positive airway devices. We offer mask fitting, PAP machine education and training, sleep apnea education, CPAP, and BiPAP supplies among others. This is part of our commitment to ensuring you receive the convenient and comprehensive care that you need!
To be one of Dr. Olusegun’s most satisfied patients, call us at (817) 594-9993 or request an appointment online.
