Sleep Apnea
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Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
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The most common blockage is at the base of the tongue. When the jaw falls down and back, the tongue rises off the floor of the mouth. If the sufferer is a mouth breather then the tongue can be pushed to the back of the throat blocking the airway. Even if the sufferer is a nasal breather the base of the tongue can cause an obstruction against the back of the throat, enough to stop the sufferer from breathing and causing an apnea episode.
Besides a blockage the airways can collapse. A blockage in one area of the passage, for instance the nose, can cause a lowering of pressure elsewhere, to an extent where the airway collapses. An analogy is what happens when you suck through a straw and block one end. (Like when you drink a thick milkshake.) The center of the straw will collapse.
Medically, it is thought that the muscles just become too relaxed when the sufferer is asleep. Because the muscles are so relaxed they become prone to collapse when there is any sort of blockage. Another theory suggests that the body is responding to an out of balance breathing system.
If a sufferer over breathes by deep, fast breathing she doesn’t over oxygenate the body, as the body only takes what is required, but she tends to blow off too much carbon dioxide. This increases the pH of the blood. One of the many responses of the body to an increasing pH level is to constrict the smooth muscles of the body and produce more mucus. This narrows the breathing passages and along tends to clog the nose. These two events alone make the sufferer more susceptible to sleep apnea obstructive.
The normal treatment for sleep apnea obstructive starts with an oral device called a manibular advancement device, much like a sports mouth guard. This keeps the jaw from falling back and stops the tongue from sliding backwards and causing a blockage. It is relatively cheap and if it works, it works. If not the sufferer is normally put onto a cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) machine.
Many people with sleep apnea breathe through their mouth because their nose always blocks at night.
Using breathing exercises to keep the nasal passages free maybe of some benefit in stopping sleep apnea obstructive.
Other options include snoring exercises that retrain the jaw to stop it dropping or external aids to keep the mouth shut.
There is no clear evidence that surgery is a good option. Results are varied with some cases reported to be worse afterward than beforehand.