Sleep Apnea Treatment In Dubai
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which breathing stops and starts abruptly. Repetitive episodes of the upper nasal blockage can cause sleep apnea, and people suffering from it start snoring. Sleep apnea can cause lethargy, headaches, and attention deficit even after a full night’s sleep. If you are looking for treatment regarding sleep apnea in Dubai, our ENT specialist Dr Peter Baptista can help you recover from the same.
There are three types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – It is the most common form of sleep apnea.
- Central sleep apnea – It happens when the brain doesn’t send proper signals to involuntary muscles to contract and relax for breathing.
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome – It is a complex form of obstructive and central sleep apnea. Patients with complex syndrome need to seek immediate sleep apnea treatment in Dubai.
Symptoms of Sleep apnea
Some of the most common signs of sleep apnea include:
- Snoring loudly
- Gasping for air during sleep
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- Abrupt breathing during sleep- reported by other people
- Insomnia symptoms
- Waking up from sleep
Due to sleep apnea, you might have some more uncommon symptoms and day irregularities such as:
- Daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)
- Loss of attention while awake
- Irritability
Possible causes of sleep apnea
During sleep, when the back of the throat muscles is relaxed, it may block the nasal passage, causing interrupted sleep or sleep apnea.
Breathing is an involuntary action. The back of the throat, palette, and tonsils expand and relax while inhaling and exhaling. In sleep apnea, these involuntary muscles remain relaxed and block the breathing passageway. As a result, you may choke and have to wake up from sleep to breathe in more air consciously. Sleep interruption is in response to the body’s survival mechanism when the brain and the body do not get enough oxygen by breathing.
Risk factors
Ear wax build-up manifests mild symptoms. But when untreated, it may cause the following complications:
- Being obese with a thick neck.
- Taking sedatives and tranquilizers.
- Smoking or consuming alcohol excessively.
- The risk tends to be high in men than in women.
- Having a family history, being a higher age adult.
- Allergies, nasal congestion, or nasal infections that cause airway blockage.
- Medical conditions include type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's, high BP, or a chronic lung infection.
- Having throat-related chronic conditions like tonsils or adenoids that narrow the airways.
Diagnosis:
The diagnosis requires overnight monitoring of your breathing patterns at our diagnostic center. In addition, Dr. Peter Baptista conducts nocturnal polysomnography – a specialized sleep apnea test, to determine its presence. However, when this cannot be done, he uses Home sleep testing to try and diagnose obstructive sleep apnea.
If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, he might do some ENT tests to check for blockage in your nose or throat. He might also refer you to a cardiologist or a neurologist if you have central sleep apnea symptoms.
In case when surgery is recommended, Dr. Peter might also consider performing a Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) to check the palate, tongue region, and other airway obstructions. His endoscopy technique is very helpful as it informs of the site(s) and the way the airway collapses, selecting an appropriate surgical treatment for sleep apnea in Dubai.
STOP-BANG Questionnaire:
The STOP-BANG questionnaire is a simple yet effective screening tool to assess the likelihood of an individual having obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The acronym “STOP-BANG” stands for the eight questions asked during the assessment:
Snoring: Do you snore loudly?
Tiredness: Do you often feel tired, fatigued, or sleepy during the day?
Observed: Has anyone seen you stop breathing or choking/gasping while asleep?
Pressure: Do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
BMI: Is your Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 35 kg/m²?
Age: Are you older than 50 years?
Neck Circumference: Is your neck circumference more than 40 cm?
Gender: Are you male?
Each question is scored with 1 point if the answer is “Yes” and 0 points if the answer is “No.” The score ranges from 0 to 8, which means a higher likelihood of having sleep apnea. Generally, a score of 3 or higher suggests an increased risk of OSA and may warrant further evaluation by a sleep specialist.
Epworth Sleepiness Scale:
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a self-report questionnaire to measure daytime sleepiness or the tendency to fall asleep in various situations. It assesses an individual’s subjective perception of their sleepiness levels. The ESS consists of eight scenarios, and for each scenario, individuals rate their likelihood of dozing off on a scale of 0 to 3:
0 – Would never doze
1 – Slight chance of dozing
2 – Moderate chance of dozing
3 – High chance of dozing.
The scenarios include:
- While reading
- Taking an afternoon nap
- In a vehicle while in traffic
- Sitting and Watching television
- Sitting and talking to someone
- Sitting quietly after lunch without alcohol
- As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break
- Sitting inactive in a public place (e.g., theatre or meeting)
The individual scores for each scenario are added together, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 24. A higher score points to a higher level of daytime sleepiness. Generally, a score of 11 or higher is considered abnormal and may suggest the need for further evaluation for sleep disorders, including sleep apnea.
Diagnosis Using Assessment Tools in to diagnose Sleep Apnea in Dubai
The STOP-BANG questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale are valuable tools in assessing and diagnosing sleep apnea. While they are not definitive diagnostic tools, they provide useful information that helps healthcare professionals determine the likelihood of sleep apnea and guide the need for further evaluation, such as a sleep study or consultation with a sleep specialist.
NOTE: these assessment tools are not substitutes for a comprehensive evaluation by a healthcare professional.
Treating sleep apnea is crucial for improving sleep quality, reducing daytime sleepiness, and preventing associated health complications. Sleep apnea treatment options may require lifestyle changes, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, oral appliances, or surgical interventions.
The STOP-BANG questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale are valuable initial sleep apnea assessment tools. These tools help healthcare professionals evaluate the likelihood and severity of sleep apnea, leading to appropriate diagnosis and sleep apnea treatment in Dubai. If you suspect sleep apnea, consult a healthcare professional who can guide you through the diagnostic process and recommend the most suitable treatment plan.
Sleep apnea treatment in Dubai
If you are diagnosed with an early stage of sleep apnea, the doctor might give you some medication and advise you to quit alcohol and smoking and manage weight.
However, some other, more stringent sleep apnea treatments would include the following treatment modules:
If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, you can benefit from a CPAP machine. It is a mask device that delivers air pressure greater than surrounding air, just enough to keep your upper airway passages open, therefore preventing you from apnea and offering apt snoring.
Let’s understand how it works!
A CPAP machine has a compressor motor that generates a steady flow of pressurised oxygen-rich air that travels through the flexible tube. The flexible tube opens in the mask, secured tightly on the nose or mouth so that air does not escape.
This steady stream of air passes into your nose or mouth, pushing against any blockages and opening air passage, so your lungs get plenty of oxygen and do not suffocate.
With nothing obstructing your airflow, you breathe and sleep soundly, without waking at any point (to breathe in consciously while choking).
While the CPAP device is reliable for sleep apnea or snoring treatment in Dubai, people may find it uncomfortable to secure it on the nose or mouth. If you face trouble using a CPAP mask, ask for help from your doctor, and learn to adjust its elbow and straps on your own. Also, try a comfortable nose or mouth mask that conforms to your face.
Sometimes, nose surgery can be performed to improve CPAP adherence and comfort
The use of mandibular advancement devices to treat sleep apnea is possible. A special custom-made device is placed each night on the upper and bottom teeth, bringing the mandible forward and the tongue forward, permitting more air to enter the airway.
These devices benefit patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea and have good short-term results. However, patients may complain of pain in the temporomandibular joint, headaches, and other symptoms that usually make it impossible for patients to continue its use.
When patients cannot tolerate the CPAP or want to avoid it, and surgery is seen as a possible treatment, DISE can be potentially helpful in the treatment process.
All surgical treatments of sleep apnea in Dubai depend on accurately identifying airway obstruction locations and causes. In the throat, two major regions are responsible for airway obstruction: the palate and tongue.
The DISE procedure helps to know where and how the airway collapses and thus helps conclude the sites of obstruction.
Dr. Peter is a firm advocate of the DISE (Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy) method for improving surgical results.
Let’s understand how it works!
During drug-induced sleep endoscopy, patients are sedated and put to sleep. Then, as patients begin to snore due to air passage blockage, Dr. Peter passes a flexible endoscope, the DISE instrument, through one nostril to evaluate the inner surface of the throat and figure out possible blockage in the palate and tongue regions.
Surgeries For Sleep Apnea Treatment
Some surgeries recommended for specific sleep apnea cases include:
Tissue Shrinkage
Tissue Remodeling
Jaw Repositioning
Creating a new air passageway
If a particular part of the mouth and throat is identified to cause sleep apnea, it can be treated through site-based surgery. Following are some examples of site-based surgery.
Epiglottis surgery
Tongue-based Surgery
Palate Surgery
Hypoglossal nerve stimulation
A hypoglossal nerve stimulation device is a small, fully implanted system that stimulates hypoglossal nerves responsible for causing tongue movement and toning the muscles in your upper airway.
The system has three different systems in the world market and is implanted with a minimally invasive procedure.
Let’s understand how it works!
The device produces an electrical stimulation of the Hypoglossal nerve that will contract the muscles that open the airway at the level of the palate and tongue base to keep the air-tract open.
Most people recover and adjust to the implantation procedure soon after its placement. The system is controlled by a handheld remote with self-operating on and off buttons. It can also be programmed, monitored, and adjusted remotely by your physician.
Dr. Peter is one of the few doctors in the world with extensive experience in this matter. Furthermore, he was the first surgeon in Spain to perform this surgery. We are trying at this moment to bring this type of device to DUBAI, at this moment. But his expertise in this matter can guide you if you need to be implanted and might even perform the surgery for you.
Note: Hypoglossal nerve stimulation is ideal for 21 years and older people who are not very overweight.
However, there is a need for him to see you and explain if you are an ideal candidate for implantation.
Why Visit Dr. Peter To Treat Your Sleep Apnea Treatment In Dubai?
Dr. Peter Baptista Jarden is an ENT specialist with 30+ years of practice and a special interest in sleep apnea treatments.
He uses improvised techniques for treating various ailments of the ears, nose, and throat. All these parts play a crucial role in our sleep cycle and hence require a holistic, specialized treatment approach to ensure better sleep. Dr. Peter has published a myriad of research in this field and is a reputed teacher of various student courses on sleep apnea in Spain.
He was named an “Expert in Sleep Medicine” by the European Sleep Research Society. He also holds credit for performing the first successful head and neck surgery with the Robotic Da Vinci Surgical system in Spain. Today, he is a revered expert performing all revolutionary sleep apnea treatments in Dubai.
So contact the sleep specialist, Dr. Peter Baptista, to resolve your sleep apnea or sleep-related issues. and sleep apnea treatment in Dubai.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the common symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, gasping for breath or choking during sleep, difficulty concentrating, daytime fatigue and morning headaches. If you are dealing with any of these troublesome symptoms, you must talk to your doctor and get evaluated for sleep apnea.
Anyone can develop sleep apnea, but certain factors can increase your risk, such as being overweight, having a family history of the condition, being male, and being over 40. Other factors like smoking, alcohol consumption, and nasal congestion can also contribute to sleep apnea.
Not necessarily. While loud snoring can be a typical symptom of sleep apnea, it does not necessarily mean the person is in deep sleep. People with sleep apnea may wake up frequently throughout the night, leading to disrupted and poor-quality sleep.
Consult Dr Peter for an apt snoring treatment in Dubai
Yes, sleep apnea can be a serious condition if left untreated. It can lead to various health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure. It can also contribute to accidents and decreased quality of life.
Currently, there is no definite cure for sleep apnea, it can be managed effectively with various treatments, including lifestyle changes, breathing devices (such as CPAP), surgery, and oral appliances.
One of the recent treatments of sleep apnea is hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS), which involves surgically implanting a device that stimulates the tongue and throat muscles to keep the airway open during sleep. Studies have shown that HNS can effectively reduce sleep apnea symptoms.
The success rate of sleep apnea treatment depends on various factors, such as the severity of the condition, the chosen treatment, and the patient’s adherence to the treatment plan. Generally sleep apnea treatment in Dubai is effective in improving symptoms and reducing associated health risks.
Sleep apnea may not happen every night, but it can occur frequently and lead to ongoing sleep disruptions and health risks. Therefore, seeking treatment for sleep apnea is important to improve sleep quality and overall health.
Sleep apnea may not happen every night, but it can occur frequently and lead to ongoing sleep disruptions and health risks. Therefore, seeking treatment for sleep apnea is important to improve sleep quality and overall health.