Severe OSA Treatment: Do I Need a CPAP Forever?
Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition that can increase your risk of multiple health issues. Cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and depression are just a few of the health problems that can worsen or arise due to sleep apnea. There are many types of sleep apnea and many levels of severity, depending on what is causing your obstruction. If you have severe OSA and want to know more about your treatment options, this blog is for you. Keep reading to learn more about severe OSA, severe OSA treatment, and how you can live a life free of sleep apnea risks without a CPAP machine.
Understanding Severe OSA
Episodes of breathing cessation or shallow breathing in sleep characterize obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These episodes are due to a complete or partial collapse of the upper airway. Most of the time, the respiratory events are associated with snoring, oxygen desaturations, and brief arousal from sleep.
The severity of OSA is determined by an index – Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) or Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI), if PSG is performed or Respiratory Event Index (REI) if OCST is performed.
AHI = number of Apneas+Hypopneas/total sleep time
RDI = number of Apneas+Hypopneas +RERAs/total sleep time
REI = number of Apneas+Hypopneas/monitoring time
AHI or REI <5/hour = normal (for adults); 5–14.9/hour = mild OSA; 15–29.9/hour = moderate OSA; and ≥30/hour = severe OSA.
The Vivos Method for Severe OSA Treatment
One of the most common treatment methods for severe obstructive sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. However, CPAP machines require a lifetime commitment, are uncomfortable, loud, difficult to travel with, require maintenance, and have had dangerous recalls.
The Vivos Method for severe OSA treatment requires a treatment time of about 12 months rather than a lifetime. Based on your specific needs, Advanced Sleep and TMJ Solutions will conduct an evaluation and formulate your custom treatment plan. Advanced Sleep and TMJ Solutions is one of the only offices in the area that can prescribe the Vivos method. Your results from The Vivos Method will largely depend upon your commitment to follow the directions and protocols prescribed to you.
Severe OSA Treatment with Advanced Sleep and TMJ Solutions
Ready to unchain yourself from your CPAP machine?
Dr. Krissy Connor received her BSN in 2001 at the Marquette University School of Nursing. She was an emergency room nurse at Aurora Sinai Medical Center for three years before attending the Marquette University School of Dentistry to receive her DDS degree in 2008. She completed a post-graduate residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. She has been collaborating with physicians to treat patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea using oral appliance therapy since 2014.
Dr. Connor has been improving patients’ lives as the owner of Hypnos Inc. in Brookfield, WI. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Sleep and Breathing Academy.
Learn more at advancedsleepandtmjsolutions.com!
