Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that causes your breathing to stop and start repeatedly while you’re asleep. At Brunswick Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine, we offer at-home or clinical sleep studies at our Garden State Sleep Center that help us properly diagnose and treat all types of sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Davanzo is board-certified in pulmonary and sleep medicine and one of the top sleep apnea doctors in New Jersey.
Causes And Symptoms
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your throat muscles periodically relax, narrowing or blocking your airway during sleep. Excess weight, diabetes, asthma, smoking, naturally narrowed airways, high blood pressure, nasal congestion and enlarged tonsils or excess tissue at the back of the throat are all risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea. It is more common in men than women.
Signs of obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Having a hard time getting up in the morning
- Snoring
- Daytime fatigue or sleepiness
- Dry mouth or sore throat
- Headaches
- Waking up suddenly, gasping for air
- Night sweats
- Tossing and turning while sleeping
- Trouble concentrating, irritability, forgetfulness and depression
- Cardiovascular problems
- Sexual dysfunction
Treatment For Obstructive Sleep Apnea
There are several treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea. Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, getting more exercise, quitting smoking, sleeping on your side and limiting alcohol and sleep medications can ease the symptoms of sleep apnea.
A CPAP or BiPAP machine includes a mask that you wear over your nose or mouth, or both. The device constantly blows air through the nose or mouth. This air pressure keeps the upper airway tissues from collapsing during sleep.
For people with mild sleep apnea, Mandibular Advancement Devices (MAD) that push the lower jaw forward and prevent the tongue from blocking the throat can be effective at keeping the airway open during sleep.
In some cases, surgery is necessary to treat obstructive sleep apnea. Our sleep specialists will perform a full examination and sleep study to determine which treatment options best fit your needs. Our experienced sleep apnea doctors take a multidisciplinary approach and utilize the expertise of ear, nose and throat specialists (ENTs), dentists, respiratory therapists and other healthcare professionals to provide top-notch sleep disorder diagnosis, care and treatment.
Contact Us
To schedule an appointment or learn more about sleep disorder diagnosis and treatment, contact us online or call Brunswick Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine at 732-246-3066. Information about obstructive sleep apnea can also be found at WebMD.
