Patient/caregiver were instructed regarding management measures for obstructive sleep apnea as follows:
- Appropriate tension in the airway muscles of the throat is needed to properly support anatomical soft structures in the throat, such as, the soft palate (the posterior portion of roof of the mouth), uvula (the soft tissue hanging from the soft palate in the back of the mouth), and the tongue. Obese individuals can have excessive fat deposits around the airways, soft palate, and uvula. This fat deposition contributes to increased weight of the soft tissues in the throat, resulting in poorly supported soft tissues with loss of tension. This leads to the soft tissues in the throat being relaxed, fall into the airway, cause obstruction to the airflow, and thus contribute to development of obstructive sleep apnea. Obese individuals must seek investigation into factors contributing to their overweight situation and adopt appropriate measures to control the same. Weight control in obese individuals contributes significantly to improvement in sleep apnea symptoms.
- Poorly controlled Type-2 diabetes is a serious risk factor for development of obesity and contributes to excessive fat deposition around various body organs. This fat deposition around the soft tissues in the throat contributes to their increased weight, loss of tension, and results in them being poorly supported. This leads to the soft tissues in the throat being relaxed, fall into the airway, cause obstruction to the airflow, and thus contribute to development of obstructive sleep apnea. Individuals with history of Type-2 diabetes must observe compliance with dietary limitations, intake of oral medications and/or insulin administration, as recommended, to help improved control of blood sugar numbers. Improved diabetic control and weight management contribute to improvement in symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.
- Individuals poorly responding to breathing devices and oral appliances, could choose to undergo tracheostomy. Tracheostomy is a surgical procedure of making a hole through the front of neck into the trachea or windpipe and inserting a trach tube through the hole directly into the trachea. Placement of trach tube helps an individual with poorly controlled sleep apnea breathe, irrespective to the patency of airways.
