Signs & Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
When a person with OSA falls asleep, his or her airway collapses and narrows, disrupting normal breathing patterns and sleep cycles — usually resulting in loud snoring. Family members or bed partners often notice a patient’s snoring first. However, many patients experience other symptoms such as:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (while at work, in social situations or while driving)
- Frequent urination at night
- Irritability
- Morning headaches
- Nausea upon awakening
- Trouble concentrating during the day
Your risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea is higher if you have one or more of the following physical attributes:
- Large neck or collar size (17 inches or more in men and 16 inches or more in women)
- Large tongue, tonsils or adenoids that can block the airway
- Narrow throat
- Obesity
- Shorter lower jaw compared to your upper jaw
If you experience symptoms of sleep apnea and have one or more risk factors, visit a sleep specialist. Houston Methodist’s integrated sleep medicine neurologists and otolaryngologists (ENT doctors) can help reduce your risk of serious OSA-related health problems.
How Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?
Our team of sleep specialists will conduct several tests and exams to diagnose your sleep disorder. We will review your medical history, ask about your sleep habits and conduct a physical exam of your mouth, neck and throat.
If we suspect OSA, we will order an overnight sleep study (polysomnogram) in our hotel-like sleep laboratory. As you sleep in a private, comfortable room, our sleep technicians will use advanced equipment to measure your:
- Blood oxygen saturation
- Blood pressure
- Body position
- Brain waves
- Breathing rate and airflow
- Eye movement
- Heart rate and rhythm
- Muscle electric activity
If you have mild symptoms and do not have other serious health conditions or sleep disorders, you may be eligible for a home sleep study instead. We will provide equipment for you to take home and wear overnight to record your breathing patterns and blood oxygen levels during sleep.
Depending on the results of your sleep study, we may perform a positive airway pressure (PAP) titration test to help determine whether you will benefit from continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. During the test, you will wear a fitted mask connected to a machine that increases the air pressure in your throat to help you breathe more easily.
The test will help us recommend an appropriate CPAP mask and the air pressure level you need to sleep better.
Treatment Options for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The goal of obstructive sleep apnea treatment is to keep your airway open while you sleep so that your breathing is not interrupted. Whether your personalized treatment plan includes lifestyle changes, sleep medicine devices, surgery or a combination of these, we want you to succeed over the long term.
Lifestyle Changes for OSA
Lifestyle changes can significantly improve your breathing during sleep. These include:
- Achieving a healthy weight
- Avoiding alcohol before bedtime
- Sleeping on your side instead of your back
Sleep Medicine Devices for OSA
Sleep medicine devices offer many patients with OSA — and their partners — more restful, restorative sleep. A registered sleep technician will help you select the proper device and educate you on maintenance and adherence. Sleep medicine device options include:
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine – Some patients benefit from using a CPAP machine to sleep. You wear a mask that is connected to a small, quiet, portable device that flows a steady stream of air through your nose and throat. The air flow helps you maintain healthy breathing as you sleep.
- Dental devices – For some patients, an oral insert can help hold your jaw forward, opening the airway during sleep.
Sleep Surgery for OSA
If your OSA is due to a structural deformity in the head, neck, facial bones, tongue, tonsils or adenoids, or if CPAP does not work for you, surgery might help improve your breathing. Our highly skilled surgeons can reduce or remove muscle or tissue, or even implant a hypoglossal nerve stimulator, to alleviate OSA symptoms in some patients.
Not all patients are eligible for OSA surgery — talk with your sleep medicine specialist or otolaryngologist about the best option for your individual needs.
