Common symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Snoring condition are excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, sleeplessness, sleep loss, nightmares, breathing through the mouth, breaks in breathing, or noisy breathing.Obstructive Sleep Snoring is another name for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. This is a condition that can sometimes turn fatal if treatment is not sought on time. This is also one condition that many people are not aware of. Under the Illness to Wellness campaign, ASSOCHAM organised a webinar on “Obstructive Sleep Snoring: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment”. The aim was to raise awareness and spread knowledge about this often-neglected condition so that people who suffer from it can lead a healthier, happier, and prosperous life.
Obstructive Sleep Snoring: Timely treatment Is The way Forward
Speaking on the need for awareness on the subject, Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairperson of the ASSOCHAM CSR Council, said, “This disorder can occur at various levels in the airway, decreasing oxygen supply to the body. Obstructive sleep snoring can affect everyone. However, conditions like obesity, advanced age, a narrower airway, hypertension, asthma, and diabetes put you at a higher risk.” He further added that more work needs to be done in terms of educating society and making people realize that this is a medical condition that can be managed through treatment. He also said that timely treatment is the only way to a happier and healthier life.
Diagnosis process
Dr. Prashant N. Chhajed, Interventional Pulmonologist Director, Lung Care and Sleep Centre Santacruz, Mumbai Pulmonologist, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi Lilavati & Nanavati Hospital’s, Mumbai, said that obstructive sleep apnea is an under diagnosed condition. According to him, OSS can be diagnosed with overnight polysomnography. Once it is properly diagnosed, treatment can start.
Treatment procedures
One effective way of treating this condition is with the use of positive airway pressure devices such as a CPAP. Accordng to Dr. Chhajed there has been tremendous advancements in interfaces (masks) to administer CPAP and this, in turn, has led to significant improvement in CPAP adherence. Moreover, the newer CPAP devices can be linked to mobile phones. This is a great advancement because it gives a patient feedback regarding the use of CPAP devices.
Regarding the treatment of this condition, Dr. Kalpana Nagpal, Senior Consultant, ENT (Head & Neck Surgery), Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said that “new technology has revolutionized the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea. In some cases of sleep apnea, robotic surgery has produced great results.” But she added that physicians and patients need to be educated more in these options.
Symptoms of OSS
Common symptoms of this condition are excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, sleeplessness, sleep loss, nightmares, breathing through the mouth, breaks in breathing, or noisy breathing. A patient may also experience dry mouth, depression, irritability, fatigue as well as headaches because of their altered physiological functioning.
