| Sleep apnea is when someone involuntarily does not | | | | open), dental repositioning devices, and surgery. |
| breath during sleep. It can be either central or | | | | During normal breathing, air passes through the throat |
| obstructive. Central apnea, which is less common, is | | | | on its way to the lungs. The air travels past the soft |
| when the brain forgets to tell the body to breath. | | | | palate, uvula, tonsils, and tongue. When a person is |
| Obstructive apnea occurs when the muscles or soft | | | | awake, the muscles in the back of the throat tighten to |
| tissue in the throat prevents the normal movement of | | | | hold these structures in place preventing them from |
| air. The signs of obstructive sleep apnea include | | | | collapsing into the airway. During sleep, these |
| severe snoring, breath holding, fatigue, and morning | | | | structures can fall into the airway causing snoring and |
| headache. | | | | obstructive sleep apnea. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty |
| Sleep apnea must be diagnosed by a sleep study. A | | | | with or without tonsillectomy are surgical procedures |
| sleep study measures the heart rate, breathing | | | | designed to circumvent this sleep releated collapse of |
| patterns, and brain waves of the patient while they | | | | these structures. The new Laser assisted |
| sleep. It is absolutely essential that this study be done | | | | uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) is a laser surgical procedure |
| on anyone suspected of having sleep apnea. | | | | designed to sequentially trim and shorten the palate |
| The treatments for sleep apnea include weight loss, | | | | preventing or reducing snoring. Its effect on sleep |
| avoidence of sleep depressants (alcohol, sleeping pills, | | | | apnea is unproven. |
| etc), CPAP ( a mask used at night to keep the airway | | | | |