What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea. Contact Dr. Namazie’s office for an appointment to learn about your options.

Sleep Apnea Treatments and Surgery

Treatment often includes lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, and the use of a breathing assistance device at night, such as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

Sleep Apnea Surgery

Over time, sleep apnea can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure, metabolic issues, and other health problems, so it’s important to treat it. If nonsurgical treatments don’t help, you may need surgery. There are many surgical options for treating sleep apnea, depending on how severe your sleep apnea is and your overall health.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

UPPP is one of the most common surgeries for treating obstructive sleep apnea. It involves removing extra tissue from the top of your throat and the back of your mouth. It tightens flabby tissues in the throat and palate and expands air passages. It’s usually only done if you can’t use a CPAP machine or other device, and tends to be used as a snoring treatment.

Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction

The nasal septum is a mix of bone and cartilage that separates your nostrils. If your nasal septum is bent, it can affect your breathing. Septoplasty involves straightening your nasal septum, which can help to straighten out your nasal cavities and make it easier to breath.

The curved bones along the walls of your nasal passage, called turbinates, can sometimes interfere with breathing. A turbinate reduction involves reducing the size of these bones to help open up your airway.

Thermal ablation palatoplasty (TAP) refers to procedures and techniques that treat snoring and various severities of obstructive sleep apnea. Different types of TAP include bipolar cautery, laser and radiofrequency.

Coblation treats snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea by removing the obstruction in the airway.

Base of tongue ablation, also known as Radiofrequency ablation, uses a needle electrode to shrink excess tissue in the upper airway, including the palate and uvula (for snoring), base of the tongue (for obstructive sleep apnea), and nasal turbinates (for chronic nasal obstruction).

Nasal CPAP, an alternative to surgery, delivers air into your airway through a specially designed nasal mask or pillows. The mask does not breathe for you; the flow of air creates enough pressure when you inhale to keep your airway open. CPAP is considered an effective nonsurgical treatment for the alleviation of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

To learn more about treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, call our office at 818.986.5500 or request an appointment to see Dr. Namazie.