Sleep Apnea

Ohio facial surgeon Dr. Faisal Quereshy recommends treatment for sleep apnea to patients who suffer from this chronic sleep disorder, which causes shallow breathing or pauses in breathing while you sleep, disrupting your rest and preventing you from getting a healthy amount of oxygen intake. Lapses in breathing may occur 1-100 times per hour and may last only a few seconds or as long as minutes.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Because sleep apnea is a condition that affects you while you are asleep, it is often very difficult to diagnose. In general, you may have sleep apnea if you experience excessive daytime sleepiness despite spending adequate time asleep. 

Difficulty concentrating, morning headaches, learning and memory problems, and a dryness and scratchiness in your throat upon waking are also potential sleep apnea symptoms.

It is important to address sleep apnea if you suspect that you, your partner or a friend or family member is suffering from this condition, as untreated sleep apnea can rob you of your energy and increase the risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and accidents or injuries.

Sleep Apnea Causes

Your bed partner or house mate may notice loud snoring or choking sounds due to obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs because your airway is collapsed or blocked during sleep. Central sleep apnea is less common and occurs when your brain doesn't communicate correctly with the muscles that control your breathing.

Both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea can cause shallow breathing or breathing pauses, although obstructive sleep apnea is most likely to occur in overweight men and women, whereas central sleep apnea tends to affect people taking certain medications or suffering from medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, brain damage and substance abuse problems.

Sleep Apnea Treatment and Surgery

Changing medications and correcting underlying medical conditions, such as heart failure or drug addiction, may correct central sleep apnea.

Lifestyle changes, including quitting smoking, sleeping on your side instead of your back, treating nasal allergies and avoiding alcohol or medicines that may prevent your airway from staying open while you sleep can reduce your sleep apnea symptoms. Custom mouthpieces and breathing machines may also be used to treat sleep obstructive apnea. 

Some sleep apnea sufferers also seek treatment to shrink excess tissue in the mouth or throat with a series of injections, which is designed to alleviate airway blockage that causes obstructive sleep apnea. Stiffening mouth or throat tissues with a small, surgically implanted piece of plastic may also have the same effect.

Jaw repositioning with orthognathic surgery is also an effective sleep apnea treatment in some patients, and Dr. Quereshy will perform a detailed assessment of your maxillofacial anatomy to determine whether this or other sleep apnea treatment options are right for you.

Sleep apnea surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia and involves at least 1-2 weeks of recovery before you are healed and breathing easier.

The Visage Surgical Institute is located in Medina, Ohio and serves local patients suffering from sleep apnea, as well as those from the greater Cleveland and Akron metro areas. For more information about sleep apnea treatment and surgery, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Quereshy, please call (330) 721-2323.