Obstructive sleep apneais a disorder that causes interrupted breathing during sleep.
The temporary episodes decrease airflow and cause a person to wake up from sleep.
Often, the person isnt aware that they are waking up dozens of times throughout the night.
D. Sharon Pruitt Pink Sherbet Photography / Moment / Getty Images
While most people who have OSA do not have asthma, you could have both conditions.
Treatment
There areseveral treatment options for sleep apnea.
The most common, and gold-standard, therapy is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
CPAP involves wearing a mask while sleeping.
The mask provides a continuous stream of pressurized air to keep the airways open.
CPAP is used at home at night, and it reverses many of the harmful effects of sleep apnea.
Oral Appliance
Despite its industrial-sounding name, an oral appliance is much like an orthodontic retainer.
Zepbound (tirzepatide) works by reducing body weight, which may lead to an improvement in OSA symptoms.
Zepbound is the first and only FDA-approved medication to treat OSA.
UPPP involves taking out the tonsils and part of the soft palate and uvula.
It’s recommended for patients who are not overweight or obese.
After UPPP surgery, many people still need CPAP therapy.
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