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
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Sleep Apnea (Apnoea)
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 stop breathing for brief periods (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.
What is Sleep Apnea?
A typical Sleep Apnea event has four components.
- First, the airway collapses.
- Second, an effort is made to take a breath but is unsuccessful.
- Third, the oxygen level in the blood drops.
- 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.
Can we treat Sleep Apnea can we treat?
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. The Private Clinic no longer offer the snoring Laser Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) procedure for treating an enlarged uvula.
Your suitability for treatment with us will depend on the type of Sleep Apnea that you are experiencing.
There are three types of sleep apnea, Central Sleep Apnea (CSA), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and Complex Sleep Apnea (Mixed Sleep Apnea). We are only able to help in cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
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.
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.
Complex sleep apnea syndrome is a combination of Central Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
How Functional Rhinoplasty can benefit sleep apnea
A Functional rhinoplasty procedure is designed to make the nose more functional, rather than changing it’s appearance for aesthetic reasons alone. The surgeon focuses on clearing the nasal passage to relieve congestion and reduce the effects of sleep apnea.
Symptoms such as mouth breathing (at night), sinus infections, and sinus pressure headaches can be prevented to help reduce the severity of sleep apnea. Whilst a rhinoplasty procedure can’t get rid of sleep apnea altogether, it can make it much easier to live with.
One research study suggests that surgical intervention improved the mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale from 11.5 (mild sleepiness) to 7.5 (normal sleepiness) [1].
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a self-evaluation tool for assessing daytime drowsiness and diagnosing sleep problems. It assigns points for each incidence of sleepiness, with higher scores indicating more severe sleepiness. Adults’ typical range is 0 to 10.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Some treatments involve lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol or muscle relaxants, losing weight, quitting smoking or changing sleeping positions.
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 use them more than 4 hours per night.
The use of a 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.
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.
A functional rhinoplasty or septoplasty can help to reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.
The type of surgery chosen is dependent on an individual’s specific condition, anatomy and goals from surgery.
We have clinics across the UK including:
- London – 98 Harley Street, W1G 7HZ
- Birmingham – 88 Hagley Road, B16 8LU
- Manchester – 25 St John St, M3 4DT
- Leeds – 45 Park Square North, LS1 2NP
- Northampton – 82 Billing Road, NN1 5DF
Find out more about we can help by contacting us here.
Prices for Functional Rhinoplasty / Septoplasty start from £8,100.
A more accurate quote will be provided following a no-obligation consultation with one of our expert Consultant Plastic Surgeons who specialises in performing rhinoplasty procedures.
They will evaluate your condition and suggest which treatment and techniques they think will work best for you.
A consultation with our Consultant Plastic Surgeons is £100.
