Question by Pennies: Can surgery cure sleep apnea?
I know that you can use those air tanks and use dental devices, but is surgery a full proof option?

Best answer:

Answer by julvrug
it is not fool proof, but it can help depending on what is causing the problem.

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Article by John Spencer

Surgery for sleep apnea can be a very scary thing to consider and you should be well aware of what it involves before making a commitment to go through with it. While the actual surgery itself is relatively easy for doctors to perform, there are many risks to be aware of after you leave the operating room. For example, a turbinectomy is a surgery that is frequently performed. This is where a surgeon will remove or reduce the size of a nasal turbinate, or straighten the nasal septum. This cuts down on the nasal obstruction or congestion and relieves airway pressure. Other common surgeries for sleep apnea include tonsilectomies and/or adeoidectomies, which increase the size of the airway, reducing the oxygen deprivation.

Regardless of the surgery for sleep apnea that you undergo, there can be problems with the drugs used during and after surgery. These drugs work to relieve the pain by depressing consciousness, effects that can stay with the body for hours, if not days, after the surgery has ended. Even in low doses, individuals recovering from surgery to overcome sleep apnea can die from the drugs in their system. Scarier still, it’s not just the drugs that can cause life threatening irregularities in breathing. In fact, even if you have no drugs in your system at all, you may still be at risk.

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The short break in the signal results in the breath coming to a halt and then restarting as soon as the signals resume which could take anything from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. Then there was another type called the “Obstructive Sleep Apnea” (OSA). It seems the breathing stops because of a temporary obstruction that occurs in the wind pipe. The breathing restarts as soon as the obstruction is cleared due to a combination of the person turning over or waking up, etc. “Is this as serious as it sounds?” I asked Allan. He just shrugged.

Poor Allan, he looked a bit rattled. And then the brochure mentioned a third type of sleep apnea which was basically a mixture of Central Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Darn, I thought, that sounded like a death trap.

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Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called apneas. Some individuals stop breathing for brief intervals, however, when these episodes of apnea become more frequent and last longer, they can cause the body’s oxygen level to decrease, which can disrupt sleep.

Narrow nasal passages, enlarged tonsils, and obesity are factors that may contribute to obstructive sleep apnea. The condition may also be related to the use of alcohol, tobacco, or sedatives.

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If you suffer from sleep apnea, you should already be familiar with CPAP breathing machines and sleep apnea mouthpieces. The main problem with these devices is that people stop using them because of their inconvenience and discomfort. For this reason, you might be looking into surgery for sleep apnea.

Surgery for sleep apnea becomes necessary when the condition begins to create a negative impact on your quality of life. The impact may be relatively minor, such as a sore throat, or it can be more serious like as constant and severe fatigue that prevents the fulfillment of daily obligations.

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Do you snore? Most people deny that they do, but research has shown that one out of every two people snores. However some people have a much bigger problem because they actually stop breathing during their sleep. This is a sleep disorder called sleep apnea.

Those suffering from this condition can actually stop breathing for as long as one minute sometimes and some do this hundreds of times every hour. This can lead to some serious health implications, it increases the risks of heart attacks and strokes by six times when compared to the general population. There is also high blood pressure to worry about.

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If you have sleep apnea, you probably know that there are two main ways to handle the condition: surgery and respiratory supplies. Each method comes with its own set of pros and cons, meaning that there’s no right answer – only the right answer for you. But regardless of your circumstances, it’s important to discuss surgery and CPAP respiratory supplies with your doctor and educate yourself as thoroughly as possible.

CPAP Masks and Machines

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There are so many people today going in to have sleep apnea surgery. Before we go in to the different kinds of surgeries that are suppose to be done as treatment for sleep apnea, you need to know what is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is when something gets in the way of your breathing while you are trying to sleep. Those who are liable to have this illness are those who are overweight and people over 40 years of age.If you let it go untreated, it can lead to stroke or even a heart attack, and in worst cases, death. So the best thing to do is to keep it under control. The main problem about treating sleep apnea is that sometimes the different products that they have out there for you are not enough to cure it. Thus, you have to have surgery. There are many different sleep apnea surgery options out there for you to choose from.

To begin with the first type of sleep apnea surgery mostly used would be the Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. It is a kind of surgery that actually removes most of the excess tissue your throat. Thus your air way is clear and wider, and therefore allow much air to pass in. This type of surgery is aways used on adults. Most doctors agree that it do helps , but there has been no proof of it helping as of yet. Also doctors say that another cure of sleep apnea is tonsillectomy if you have it. People who have enlarged tonsils may be suffering from sleep apnea, because it is blocking their airway while they sleep. Most of the time, this is one of the first kinds of surgeries that is done, and it is the first one done for children.

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I’ve searched EVERYWHERE online for the answer, but all I find is stuff about sleep apnea and blah blah blah -.- I had corrective upper jaw surgery two weeks ago and my swelling has gone down completely. Sleeping on your back for two weeks can get pretty uncomfortable and I’m not even sure if I have to.. It’s too late to call my doctor and it’s 7:30 pm and I want to know in time to sleep, because it’s driving me crazy.. CAN I sleep on my side?

I am 39 years old and very obese and have diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and high triglycerides. My doctor at the VA Hospital wants them to give me gastric bypass surgery but they no longer do it at the VA Hospital. Is there any VA Hospitals that perform gastric bypass surgeries (regular one) or how much money do you need to have it done on your own? Please help me. Thank You.