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Snoring And Sleep Apnea Treatment in Austin, TX

couple in bed sleeping next to each other

What Are My Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatments Options?

Sinus & Snoring Specialists in Austin, TX offers many different solutions to treat snoring and sleep apnea. We offer nonsurgical treatments, minimally invasive procedures, and surgical options. The point is that it is not a one size fits all treatment plan and it is tailored to each patient’s anatomical issues and desires.

Our state of the art facility combined with more than 20 years of expertise and experience allows Dr. Slaughter to provide a real solution to your snoring or sleep apnea issue. Best of all you DO NOT have to go to a sleep lab to have a sleep study.

We have sophisticated HST( Home Sleep Testing) devices available in our office to allow you to accurately evaluate your sleep in the comfort of your own bed. And you will not be forced into a CPAP as we offer all of the modern techniques all available in our office procedure suite to correct the anatomical issues causing your snoring or sleep apnea.

Snoring Vs. Sleep Apnea

Dr. Daniel Slaughter talks about the difference between snoring and sleep apnea and how we diagnose it and how we treat it.

Sinus & Snoring Specialists offer many different treatment options for snoring and sleep apnea. It is important to understand that snoring and sleep apnea are part of the same disease process which includes:

  • Snoring
  • Upper airway resistance syndrome
  • Sleep apnea

Snoring is on the mild side. Simply said, snoring is resistance to airflow while sleeping that causes noise. This noise will bother the bed partner but otherwise does not affect the patient’s health or sleep quality.

Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is more severe as it also involves snoring but the amount of resistance and noise actually affects the quality of sleep of the patient with arousals and reduced restorative sleep.

Sleep apnea is the more serious issue where there is snoring and also the resistance to the airflow is so significant that there is reduced or complete lack of airflow. These episodes without airflow cause a drop in the blood oxygen and cause a real strain on the cardiovascular system. Essentially, this creates a long list of medical issues such as:

  • Hypertension
  • Weight gain
  • Diabetes
  • Atrial fibrillation
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Dementia

Your daytime performance can also be affected due to excessive sleepiness.

Why Do I Snore?

Why is sleep so important?

Sleep is critical to our daily function and our overall health. It causes mental and physical repair that allows you to wake up rested and ready for the day. Although snoring is often thought of as a nuisance, it is actually directly related to many serious health conditions. Especially when snoring results in pauses in breathing during sleep called apnea. These are often heard by the bed partner as a break in snoring followed by a loud gasp and a snore.

Causes Of disruptive sleep

Sleep Hygiene plays an important role in reducing snoring and sleep apnea.

  • woman really enjoying hugging a pillowSleep Position is very important for many patients. Sleeping on your back will frequently increase snoring and apnea. We can offer advice about how to enhance side or prone sleeping. Certain pillow and mattress types can also be quite helpful to reduce snoring.
  • Sedative Medications and Alcohol increase snoring and apnea and should be avoided before bedtime.
  • Weight Gain tends to increase snoring and apnea. A diet and exercise program can be very helpful and we also work cooperatively with endocrinologists to analyze your metabolism to assist in weight loss.
  • Allergy Control from our Allergy Center can reduce congestion and reduce snoring and apnea as well.

Read Blog Post: UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOUR SLEEP APP IS TELLING YOU

Snoring, Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) & Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

Sinus & Snoring Specialists in Austin, TX offers many different solutions to treat snoring and sleep apnea. We offer nonsurgical treatments, minimally invasive procedures, and surgical options. The point is that it is not a one size fits all treatment plan and it is tailored to each patient’s anatomical issues and desires. Our state of the art facility combined with more than 20 years of expertise and experience allows Dr. Slaughter to provide a real solution to your snoring or sleep apnea issue. Best of all you DO NOT have to go to a sleep lab to have a sleep study.

We have sophisticated HST( Home Sleep Testing ) devices available in our office to allow you to accurately evaluate your sleep in the comfort of your own bed. And you will not be forced into a CPAP as we offer all of the modern techniques, all available in our office procedure suite, to correct the anatomical issues causing your snoring or sleep apnea.

Non-Surgical Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

  • CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) and BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure): this form of therapy applies pressure through a mask at night to stent open the airway. It can be very successful but is poorly tolerated by many. Frequently people with nasal, sinus, and allergy issues will not be able to tolerate it because the pressure required to pump air through a closed nose is too high. Our modern balloon sinuplasty procedure combined with the correction of any deviation of the septum and swollen turbinates can make the CPAP tolerable and more effective.
  • OA (Oral Appliance) Therapy: we work closely with specialized sleep dentists and orthodontists so they can make custom-fitted oral appliances in our patients that have large tongues. This helps hold the jaw and tongue forward at night and prevents snoring and obstructive sleep apnea caused by the tongue.

Minimally Invasive Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

Provided below is a list of our minimally invasive procedures to help treat snoring and sleep apnea in our Austin office.

These procedures work to address the obstruction in the nasal airway and the throat. The general principle is that nasal and sinus blockage will cause rapid and turbulent airflow as the airflow goes through the nasal airway. This is called the Bernoulli principle.

Anytime flow is forced through a narrow area there will be faster and more turbulent flow just like putting your thumb over a garden hose causes the water to exit fast and turbulent. This rapid and turbulent flow goes from the back of the nose into the throat and beats the soft palate and uvula like a sail in the wind causing snoring. It will also produce a negative pressure in the back of the throat that will pull the tongue back into the airway causing an obstruction. The nasal blockage also tends to cause an open mouth posture that allows the jaw to fall backward and enhances the possibility of the tongue occluding the airway.

Balloon sinuplasty, septoplasty, turbinate reduction, and nasal polyp removal all enhance the daytime breathing for the patient but they will also significantly reduce the amount of rapid and turbulent airflow and therefore reduce both snoring and apnea.

The UPPP further assists by making the soft palate higher and stiffer further opening the airway and reducing snoring and apnea.

These procedures can be done in combination with each other as a simple office procedure taking about 15 minutes under IV sedation. There is minimal recovery and patients usually can work the next day.

Surgical Sleep Apnea Treatments

  • Tonsillectomy: large tonsils can contribute to OSA and in some cases, tonsillectomy is still important to obtain a cure. This is done as a last option as there is significant downtime. It is a simple outpatient procedure.
  • Maxillary Mandibular Advancement Surgeries: we work closely with Maxillofacial surgeons in cases where the development of the facial skeleton is contributing to sleep apnea. In these cases, advancement of the upper and lower facial skeleton can be of great assistance.
  • Inspire Sleep Therapy: Inspire implant is a surgical procedure for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Simply put, it is a small device that is that works inside your body while you sleep to treat the root cause of sleep apnea using a remote control. This device is placed during a same-day, outpatient procedure.

Can Sleep Apnea Cause Anxiety?

OSA has been shown to increase both anxiety and depression.

What Kind of Doctor Treats Sleep Apnea?

Physicians board certified by the AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) are the experts in sleep apnea. These physicians come from many specialities. Those that are board certified in ENT as well as the AASM have a unique understanding of the anatomy related to sleep apnea and can offer a broad array of treatments beyond just CPAP.

How is Neck Circumference Related to Sleep Apnea?

People who have a large neck circumference (17 and greater) are much more likely to have OSA. Other physical factors that contribute to OSA include have anatomical restriction of the nasal airway, a large tongue, large tonsils, as well as obesity.

What is the Best Pillow for Sleep Apnea?

Pillow systems that elevate the head higher than the stomach and assist the patient in sleeping on their side (such as the Medcline system) are helpful in treating OSA

Are Sleep Apnea Tests Covered by Insurance?

Typically home sleep studies are covered by insurance. In lab studies frequently are not.

Are There Negative Side Effects From Using a CPAP?

People have a lot of sleep disruption from CPAP because of the cumbersome nature of the therapy. Facial creases and skin irritation also occur. Sinus infections, nasal bleeding, and worsening allergies also occur.

Schedule a consultation for Snoring or Sleep Apnea Treatment in Austin

If you are experiencing problems related to snoring and sleep apnea, contact our Austin office at 512.601.0303 to schedule a consultation today.

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