If you have obstructive sleep apnea, then you are getting a poor quality of sleep. This condition blocks your airways. It occurs when soft tissue near your throat collapses and closes while you are sleeping. This results in you not breathing at times while sleeping. Your brain rouses you to tell you when to start breathing, but it is not enough to make you wake up. This results in your sleep being fragmented.

When left untreated, sleep apnea can have life-threatening consequences. These life-threatening consequences may include heart disease, high blood pressure, falling asleep while driving, stroke, depression and diabetes. Read on to find out how to treat obstructive sleep apnea with a procedure called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).

What Are The Symptoms?

The symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apnea tend to overlap. For this reason, it can be hard for doctors to diagnose the type of sleep apnea. Common symptoms include episodes of breathing cessations, loud snoring, abrupt awakenings, morning headaches, difficulty staying asleep, irritability, attention problems and excessive daytime sleeping.  

How Does UPPP Helps Sleep Apnea?

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is a sleep apnea procedure. This procedure removes the excess tissue in your throat to make your airways wider. Your surgeon can either remove or reposition the tissue. A UPPP procedure allows air to move freely through your throat when breathing.

When doing a UPPP, your surgeon can also remove your tonsils, trim your uvula and soft palate, and reposition the muscles in your soft palate. These procedures can improve the side effects of obstructive sleep apnea.

Other Treatments

Sleep apnea is a complex condition. It may take a combination of treatments to address all the symptoms related to your disease. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty alone may not cure your condition.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is one of the most common treatments recommended for sleep apnea. It is when you wear a nasal or face mask while sleeping. This mask is connected to a pump that provides air to your nasal passages to keep your airways open. It is possible that you will still have to use a CPAP machine after surgery.

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, then you need to determine the cause. There is a reason why you have sleep apnea. Being overweight causes sleep apnea in some people. If you are overweight, then you need to lose weight for your condition to improve. Your doctor can help you with finding the right treatment for your condition.