How is sleep apnea treated?

40% of Spaniards sleep poorly. Resting properly is essential to face daily life, which becomes difficult when diseases such as Sleep Apnea, known as snoring. But not only snoring sleep problems, Cardiovascular disease or psychological problems They can lead to sleep difficulties, and are even considered diseases.

From hospital Quirónsalud Marbella and Campo de GibraltarLed sleep unit Carlos O’Connor Reyna and Juan Carlos Casado Moriente, has been contributing to science for years with numerous publications with scientific impact on various topics, specifically, in sleep medicine. works with them Laura Rodriguez, an ear, nose and throat specialist, the youngest sleep medicine specialist in Andalusia.

At only 29 years old, she chose a major that allowed her to develop her career as an ENT specialist beyond common ailments. Thus, Rodriguez emphasizes that “sleep medicine allows us to know All the diseases that exist in terms of night rest. In my case, as an ENT doctor, this gives me the possibility to treat sleep apnea and snoring, but really since I was young Sleep disturbances such as nightmares or night terrors And in adults there are many different diseases.”

Thus it is a major that can be covered from almost all fields. “When a patient comes to the unit, they can come from different specialties, because Sleep disorders are associated with many other diseases”, emphasizes the specialist. In this sense, Rodriguez stresses that the diseases associated with sleep apnea “It’s not just a problem for the person we’re sharing the room with.”, meaning that “snoring is not only annoying, but also a disease.”

What is sleep medicine?

As Laura Rodríguez points out, sleep medicine allows to know all the diseases that exist in connection with night rest. For otolaryngologists, it offers the possibility of treating diseases such as sleep apnea and snoring, disorders to which are added “other diseases now being studied more, such as restless legs syndrome or some parasomnia, really Many medical specialties have a role in the sleep unit‘ says the specialist.

Regarding the perception of diseases, this specialist stresses the importance of “treating them as A disease and not something annoying”, to which he adds the need to “focus on the diagnosis and try to treat the patient, that is, to give him the importance that the patient was demanding.”

How is sleep apnea treated?

the Sleep Apnea, or snoring in general, is usually associated with a high body mass index. In this way, “all patients with apnea and high body fat, the most helpful is weight loss,” Rodriguez says.

In collaboration with Carlos O’Connor, the Sleep Unit has created a mobile application to enhance oropharyngeal exercises. the app”AirwayThus, it presents a series of recommendations that help “Improving upper respiratory muscles that collapse due to apnea itself”.

These exercises are part of Laura Rodriguez’s PhD thesis, which states that “there are certain types of patients, both younger and thinner, who do not have severe anatomical factors that justify obstruction, have less muscle tone, and with exercises reduce apnea.” It is not a cure, but a patient who does not have cardiovascular risk factors and a moderate apnea index, can control it with exercise.”