Over 35 years of expert care

Best Clinic Group UK & Trustpilot 5 star

Nationwide Clinics

Award winning treatment plans

Over 35 years of expert care

Best Clinic Group UK & Trustpilot 5 star

Nationwide Clinics

Award winning treatment plans

Sleep Apnea

There are three types of sleep apnea, Central Sleep Apnea (CSA), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and Mixed Sleep Apnea ( i.e. both Central Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea).

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Medically reviewed by Lorcan Sheppard BSc MBBS FRCA, Chief Medical Officer and the Medical Advisory Committee for The Private Clinic.

Last Reviewed July 16th 2020

Related Cosmetic Surgery

If you snore, first of all you should not rule out that you may suffer from a more serious health condition called sleep apnoea. It is more commonly known by the US spelling – apnea. People with sleep apnea actually stop breathing for brief periods of time (usually 10-20 seconds) whilst asleep.

Sleep apnea often results in feelings of excessive tiredness during the day and the ability to reach deep, restorative sleep stages is impaired. Other warning signs of sleep apnea are often noticed by bed partners and include loud snoring and making snorting or choking sounds at night.

All sleep apnea procedures are currently unavailable due to Covid 19 until September 2020. The Private Clinic is only interested in ensuring the safety of its patients and it is for this reason we believe that this type of operation should be delayed for now. If you have issues with snoring and you are interested in the snoring operation please contact us and we will be able to add your details to our waiting list where we will then contact you as soon as we start the procedure again.

There are three types of sleep apnea, Central Sleep Apnea (CSA), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and Mixed Sleep Apnea ( i.e. both Central Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea).

Procedure Time

15 mins

Support Garments

n/a

Driving

24 hours

Back to work

1 - 2 days

Recovery Time

1 - 2 weeks

Anaesthetic Type

Local Anaesthetic

Washing

n/a

Up & Mobile

Immediately

Exercise

1 week

Final Results

6 weeks

Hospital Stay

None, daycase

Sleeping

n/a

Sexual Activity

1 week

Travel

7 - 10 days

What is Central Sleep Apnea and what causes it?

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) occurs when the brain does not send the signal to breathe to the muscles related to our breathing.

This usually occurs in adults with heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases or congenital diseases but also can be caused by some medications and high altitudes. In adults with Central Sleep Apnea, the apneas are usually resolved by treating the underlying heart disease, medication interaction, high altitude, or other primary problem.

If you suffer from CSA you should visit your GP as soon as possible. Our treatments are aimed at reducing your snoring and will not be able to improve your condition in cases where Central Sleep Apnea is the diagnosis.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea and what causes it?

This is the most common category of sleep disordered breathing.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is estimated to affect 4% of men and 2% of women respectively. It is probably even more prevalent as the population is becoming more obese as obesity worsens Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

An Apnea event has four components.
1. First, the airway collapses.
2. Second, an effort is made to take a breath, but is unsuccessful.
3. Third, the oxygen level in the blood drops.
4. And when the amount of oxygen reaching the brain decreases, the brain signals the body to wake up and take a breath. (This is what the bed partner hears as a silence followed by a gasp for air.)

Airflow can become diminished for a variety of reasons:

If a person has a deviated septum.
If the palate and uvula (the piece of skin that hangs in the back of your throat) are long or floppy, they can fall backwards and close the area for breathing.
The back of the tongue can also fall backwards and obstruct breathing especially when laying flat on your back.
Finally the side walls of the throat can fall together to narrow or close the airway.

Please note that our treatments are aimed at reducing your snoring and freeing your airway and are suitable only in case of obstruction due to a blocked nose or an enlarged uvula.

What are the symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea ?

Common symptoms include loud snoring, restless sleep, and sleepiness during the daytime. Sleep Apnea causes high blood pressure and sufferers have a 30% higher risk of heart attack. Unfortunately it is estimated that only 10% of people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea seek medical attention.

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Before & After

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What to Expect

Sleep Apnea can be a very serious condition. If you are a loud snorer, you may suffer from Sleep Apnea. At The Private Clinic, during your consultation, we will perform a medical assessment and will help you to complete an Epworth questionnaire to assess whether or not you may be suffering from sleep apnea and to assess the severity of your condition.

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FAQs

Some treatments involve lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol or muscle relaxants, losing weight, quitting smoking or changing sleeping position. Some people require the use of a breathing machine called CPAP – continuous positive airway pressure. CPAP delivers the air through a nasal or face-mask under pressure. When adjusted properly and tolerated, it is nearly 100% effective in eliminating or reducing obstructive sleep apnea. Unfortunately only 60% of people with CPAP machines report that they use them and only 45% of them actually use them more than 4 hours per night. The use of CPAP mask can be impaired when a patient has nasal congestion or a septal deviation; it is important to have these evaluated since they can be treated (see above under surgical treatments). Another non-surgical method is a dental appliance to hold the jaw, keeps the tongue forward and holds the palate up thus preventing closure of the airway. This small increase in airway size sometimes is enough to control the apneas. A dental appliance requires natural teeth to fit properly and it must be worn every night. Finally many medications have been studied for obstructive sleep apnea; however, because obstructive sleep apnea is due to an anatomic airway narrowing, it has been difficult to find a medication that will help.

There are many surgical options to treat obstructive sleep apnea. The type of surgery that is chosen is dependent on an individual’s specific anatomy and severity of sleep apnea.

Our Consultant ENT Surgeon, Professor Yves Kamami, Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Specialist, GMC Number: 4145471 consults from our clinic in London, 98 Harley Street W1G 7HZ To find out more about booking a consultation; contact us here.

Prices for our snoring treatments start from £1,980, depending on the type of treatment. A consultation with our Ears Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon is £100

sleep apnea Treatment is Available in these Clinics

London Harley Street

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