In obstructive sleep apnea, muscles of the soft palate relax during sleep, leading to narrowing of the pharynx and uvular collapse, closing and obstructing the throat or airway for breathing. OSA is characterized by brief or longer periods of apnea or cessation of breathing. Children whose tonsils and adenoids are enlarged are prone to developing OSA.
Presently, there is no agreement as to why OSA occurs. It is thought to be associated with aging, obesity or small airway anatomy in the mouth or throat. These symptoms have been described in medical literature for thousands of years, it is only recently that they are named as a sleep disorder and their significance recognized as in a National Health and Medical Research Council report.
OSA Suffers typically experience:
• Snoring
• Dry mouth
• Mouth breathing
• Fatigue upon awakening
• Poor daytime concentration
• Restless leg syndrome
• Breathlessness
There may be as many a 12 million Americans suffering from sleep apnea. At least 1 out of 10 persons over 65 years of age has sleep apnea. Women develop OSA more frequently after menopause. If someone in your family has OSA, you are more likely to develop it.
During his medical studies, Dr. Konstantin Buteyko concluded that hyperventilation or over-breathing caused many conditions, including sleep apnea and asthma. Dr. Buteyko developed a method of breathing retraining techniques. The method has spread internationally and is presently used throughout the world for treatment of conditions like OSA . If you have done a sleep study and know you have OSA, or that you snore, please consider making an appointment for a free consultation or contact us by email.
If people can learn to breathe through their nose at night they will gradually reduce rate and volume of breath during the day and night, they will stop snoring altogether.
Buteyko LA regularly produces individual and class retraining programs to address all overbreathing problems especially OSA. We are expert in our assistance and can help you with a program for home practice insuring your success in eliminating OSA.
60-80% of snorers will test positive for OSA with a sleep study. Untreated OSA results in a 20% reduction in life expectancy. 40% of adults over 40 years in the US, snore. If you snore, consider talking to your doctor or dentist/orthodontist about taking a sleep study.
