SLEEP APNEA

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

When you research this topic, you’ll encounter many concepts.
Classifications such as apnea index, hypopnea index, arousal index, mildmoderate-severe apnea…In addition, many options are offered, such as different
treatment methods, lasers, robots, nerve stimulators.
If there are many different definitions and methods on a subject, it actually means
that clarity on that subject has not yet been fully established. This can confuse
both patients and sometimes professionals.

The Most Basic Distinction

The most important thing we need to know about this is:
To distinguish between simple snoring and sleep apnea.
Apnea is the cessation of breathing for at least 10 seconds during sleep. This is a
serious condition and directly affects the body.
Simple snoring is much more common and is usually easier to resolve. Sleep
apnea is a more complex condition.

Breathing Mechanism

The breathing process begins with a signal from the brain. The respiratory center is
stimulated, and
air enters through the nose.
The air passes sequentially:
From the nasal entrance (nasal valve area)
Between the septum and nasal turbinates
Backwards, through the soft palate and uvula area
To the respiratory tract and lungs.
It is oxygenated in the lungs and distributed throughout the body via the
circulatory system.
A problem at any point in this mechanism can lead to breathing problems during
sleep.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Central (brain-derived) apnea is very rare. The most common problem we see is
obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstruction can occur in the following areas:
Nasal wings (nasal valves)
Septum deviations
Nasal turbinate enlargement
Bone and cartilage structures
These structures are hard tissues. When corrected, the likelihood of recurrence is
low. However, this region’s contribution to apnea is limited; they mainly cause
snoring.

Soft Palate and Weight Relationship

The main problem is often at the back. The soft palate and surrounding tissues,
especially with weight, relax and narrow the airway. The vast majority of patients
with sleep apnea have weight problems.
A vicious cycle is created here:
Weight → snoring and sleep apnea
Apnea → poor sleep
Poor sleep → hormonal changes
Hormonal changes → more weight
This cycle continues.

The Most Effective Approach in Treatment

The most important treatment at this point is:
Losing weight
Exercising regularly
Sports affect not only the muscles but also the soft palate muscles. Therefore,
it plays a very important role in treatment.

Surgical Methods

When researched, numerous surgical methods are encountered. There are many
techniques such as soft palate interventions and tongue base procedures.
However, there is an important point here: Soft tissues can loosen again over time.
If weight is gained, age increases, or exercise is not done, this area can narrow
again. Therefore, especially in patients with advanced apnea, it is difficult to
provide a permanent solution with surgery alone.

CPAP (Mask) Treatment

A CPAP device prevents breathing from stopping by delivering air during sleep.
From the outside, sleeping with a mask seems difficult and uncomfortable.
However, patients who use it usually say:
“I slept so comfortably for the first time in my life.”
Nevertheless, it can be difficult to use in practice and requires continuous use.

Conclusion

The most appropriate approach to sleep apnea treatment is:
Weight control
Exercise
CPAP support if necessary
Surgery should be performed on the right patient, in the right place, and with the
right indication.