Kota Kinabalu: Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu Hospital provides comprehensive sleep study and consult to patients with suspected OSA. According to its Consultant Neurologist Dr Chris Chong, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder.
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"If you have OSA, it means that your airway collapses part or all of the way while you are sleeping. The muscles of the upper airway relax when you fall asleep.
"If you sleep on your back, gravity can cause the tongue to fall back. This narrows the airway and can reduce the amount of air getting into the lungs.
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"A narrowed airway causes snoring by making tissue in the back of the throat vibrate. An apnea is when the airway is completely closed, and so breathing temporarily stops.
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"The airway can collapse repeatedly during the night. Air can't get to your lungs, resulting in a lack of oxygen. You wake up so you can start breathing again. "Frequent awakenings at night can cause sleepiness during the day. The lack of oxygen and frequent night time awakenings have negative consequences for your health," he said.Symptoms of OSA include loud or frequent snoring, choking or gasping while sleeping, morning headaches, daytime sleepiness or tiredness and trouble concentrating. "A person is at an increased risk of OSA if one is overweight, hypertensive, male with a neck size of 17 inches or more, female with a neck size of 16 inches or more, male over the age of 40 years and female over the age of 50 years," said Dr Chong."Not all people with OSA have these risk factors. Children can have OSA as a result of large tonsils or narrow airways. Young adults, even those who are physically fit, may also have OSA. It is impossible to diagnose OSA just by looking at someone."According to him, complications related to OSA are high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, pre-diabetes and diabetes, impaired attention and memory, reduced or poor productivity due to daytime sleepiness and more being prone to motor vehicle accidents related to daytime sleepiness and others. "To diagnose OSA, your healthcare provider can refer you for a sleep evaluation. Breathing and the amount of oxygen in your blood are measured during the study. "The sleep evaluation may occur in a sleep centre or at your home. Your results will help your healthcare provider make a diagnosis. OSA is treatable. It is important to get tested and treated."Positive Airway Pressure Therapy or PAP therapy, said Dr Chong, is usually the first treatment of OSA and can prevent or reduce the serious health consequences of OSA. PAP therapy helps people with all levels of OSA, from mild to severe. It is the most common therapy for OSA."There are different forms of PAP therapy. All forms of PAP help by keeping the airway open during the night. These devices provide a stream of air through a mask you wear while you sleep. The airstream prevents your airway from closing, so you don't stop breathing and wake up during the night."The mask must fit and make a seal in order to keep your throat open. A good mask seal will prevent air leaks and maintain the right level of air pressure. The amount of air pressure needed is different for each person."There are other treatments for OSA. You can talk to your healthcare provider about which treatment is right for you."If you are overweight, weight loss can help improve or eliminate your OSA. Oral appliances are used to treat mild to moderate OSA. They fit over the teeth and are worn during sleep."
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Dr Chong said people with OSA may have surgery to reduce the tissue in their throats or to help them lose weight (bariatric surgery). Lifestyle or behavioural changes, such as quitting smoking or not drinking alcohol, can also help to treat OSA, he added.