Surgery is one treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea. The first step in sleep apnea surgery entails evaluation by a sleep apnea surgeon. Sleep apnea surgeons are usually otolaryngologists also known as ear, nose and throat surgeons....
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes breathing to stop repeatedly throughout the night. It occurs when throat muscles relax or when signals from the brain to the muscles that control breathing are faulty. The goal of apnea surgery is to clear...
Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is a common treatment for sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which breathing is interrupted during sleep, according to MayoClinic.com. CPAP works by providing a steady stream of pressurized air that props...
There are a few natural ways to treat mild sleep apnea. Losing weight is known to help improve nighttime breathing for those with obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of the disorder. A weight reduction of as little as 10 percent can have...
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which you have shallow breaths while sleeping or one or more pauses in breathing that can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. One treatment...
Snoring occurs when inhalation and exhalation cause the soft tissues in the throat to vibrate. This can happen when the airway is constricted by excess tissue or when the muscles in the throat relax. Sedatives and other central nervous system...
Snoring, as defined by the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), happens when the tissues in your airways vibrate as you sleep. Snoring can be occasional after enjoying a large meal or a glass of wine, or it can be a more serious form of sleep...
A tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the tonsils, two glands or lymph tissues, that lie at the back of the throat. The surgery may be indicated due to ongoing recurrent infections or snoring and sleep apnea. While the surgery is...
Snoring results from vibrations in the soft palate and other tissues of the throat. Simple methods can take care of mild snoring. However, in some cases, snoring is so loud it can disrupt a partner's sleep and interrupt sleeping patterns...
A continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine treats moderate to severe sleep apnea in adults. A CPAP machine uses a mask that fits over the mouth and nose, or just over the nose. The machine gently blows enough air into the throat so...
If you are obese, you are at risk of developing serious health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. While losing weight requires changing your eating and exercise habits, there are products that may be able to help...
In adults, the causes of bed-wetting, or nocturnal enuresis, can stem from genetics, disease or illness. There are two types of adult nocturnal enuresis, primary and secondary. Primary nocturnal enuresis is a continuation of the disorder from...
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that causes a repeated starting and stopping in breathing during sleep. There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common and...
Everybody has a natural pacemaker that sends signals throughout the heart muscle telling it when to beat and how fast or slow it should be beating in conjunction with what the rest of the body is doing. Sometimes, these signals misfire and the...
Gastric balloon surgery is an effective nonsurgical solution for those wanting to lose weight. It is a quick, painless procedure requiring no local anesthetic or overnight hospital stay. The entire process can take up to 30 minutes and the...
The tonsils are two large glands in the back of the throat that help fight infection by trapping bacteria and other potentially harmful organisms. Occasionally, the tonsils can become so overwhelmed with these harmful substances that they become...
Tonsil infections cause sore throats, difficulty swallowing and even bad breath. A person's tonsils are two clusters of tissue located on the left and right sides of the back of the throat. Tonsils protect the body by trapping germs from entering...
Sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome can affect patients' quality of sleep. With sleep apnea, patients stop breathing for periods of 10 seconds or more while asleep, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke....
The uvula is a fleshy, hanging projection of the middle part of the soft palate. It is visible behind the tongue when a person looks into his mouth. The uvula functions with the back of the throat and soft palate to create the articulation of...
Gastric banding surgery is a bariatric (weight loss) procedure that reduces the size of the stomach, limiting food intake. The surgeon divides the stomach into two pouches with an adjustable silicone band filled with saline (saltwater). After...
Snoring affects 45 percent of normal adults on an occasional basis and 25 percent on a chronic basis, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery. This problem can annoy those within earshot of the snorer, but it can...
Sleep apnea impacts millions of Americans, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity and diabetes. This common problem occurs when breathing temporarily pauses during sleep, each pause lasting a few seconds to...
According to MayoClinic.com, sleep apnea is considered a serious medical condition with potentially dangerous complications. Apnea monitors are designed to collect valuable information from apnea sufferers to facilitate their treatment. They are...
Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is a heart condition in which your heartbeat is fast or chaotic and an insufficient amount of blood is pumped to your body. If you have A-fib, your doctor may encourage certain types of exercise. Although,...
Snoring can affect your life, and you may not even realize it. It can take away your quality of sleep, leaving you weak and tired throughout the day. In serious cases, snoring can be caused by sleep apnea, which can lead to weight gain, stroke and...
Septoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to straighten the septum, the large flat piece of cartilage that divides the nose into two chambers. In many cases of deviated septum, one of the nasal turbinates -- bony ridges in the upper nasal...
There are many types of sleep problems, and if your child experiences any of them, it can affect him in a variety of ways. For his overall health, well being and happiness, as well as your own, figuring out the cause and helping your child...
Clinical trials offer you an opportunity to help scientists find solutions to pressing public health challenges. Obesity and weight control are important areas of research because they take a significant economic toll in terms of health care costs...
Obesity does more than damage your health; it damages your self-esteem as well, making it difficult for some to function normally. For those who have tried multiple times to lose excess pounds through a healthy diet and exercise regimen, there is...
Sleep disorders are common problems that come down to a loss of quality sleep. Various disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome. Learn more about these various disorders in this video and ways to prevent them.
