Sleep Disorder: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea is a health hazard and usually affects middle-aged, overweight adults. It causes not only snoring but also repeated obstruction to breathing while the person is sleeping. This leads to a drop in oxygen saturation within the blood which can damage organs such as the heart and the brain.
The condition can be diagnosed by a visit to the sleep lab, which conducts a simple test called polysomnogram. Simple advice can treat patients with mild sleep apnea; however a more advanced condition may require to use an equipment like CPAP. Treatment improves a person’s overall health by improving the quality of sleep.
Regular and ongoing follow up is needed with a sleep medicine specialist who will check whether the treatment is working and whether there are any side effects of the treatment.