Apnea-nose vs throat

Can someone please explain the theory of this. I just can't get it at times. Doesn't apnea problems come from either the nose or the throat, or of course, both. Now please explain this to me. If you use the CPAP machine and it forces air through the nose, then how does that stop the throat blockage. Wouldn't there still be an apnea problem if the blockage is coming from the throat. So if you are getting air through the nose, what's the purpose if you still get throat blockage>?

Isn't your nose connected to your throat? Your airway goes through your nose and hooks to your throat then goes down into your lungs. By pushing air through your nose, you keep your throat from collapsing. You can do the same thing through your mouth (hence full face masks) but you have to cover your nose so the air doesn't come back out through that connection.

So, if I get the nasal surgery, wouldn't that mean the apnea would go away?

Excellent question - I don't even slightly understand this myself; with the stunning achievements of surgery, the problem of soft tissues sagging in the night seems simple to repair.

For the moment I accept the diagnosis and pursue the usual treatments, as otherwise I fall asleep while Googling for knowledge - but I do wonder why it's so easy to tuck my chin and smooth my brow, but my airway problem requires sleeping with a hose attached to my face.

Here's a hit - http://www.sleepapneasurgery.com/overview_adult.html

I'd need surgery to pronounce the terms. Thinking about this further, I suspect CPAP - and variations - is the preferred treatment in part because so much can go wrong in any surgery, and results are tough to predict: I only scanned that article, and success rates for the various approaches seemed low - around 50%.

Much to think about here.

It's funny how my initial reaction to all this is to volunteer to be operated on (this evening, perhaps?), yet I've refused Lasik because I'd rather wear classes than risk a surgery gone awry.

So for now....CPAP, health discipline (conscious breathing, sleep, diet, & exercise).....maybe in time there'll be a different treatment.

giantred wrote:So, if I get the nasal surgery, wouldn't that mean the apnea would go away?

'Apnea" literally means "absence of breathing".

Absence of breathing can be caused by obstructions in the nose.
Absence of breathing can be caused by when back of your throat collapses, or your tongue falls into your throat.

I take it you think that if you get nasal surgery, clearing obstructions from your nose, that would keep the back of your throat from collapsing, or it might keep your tongue from falling back into your throat.

I don't get the theory of this. Nor do I get the physics or mechanics or biology of this theory. Would you mind explaining how nasal surgery changes the effects of gravity on your tongue? Could you perhaps use the following video to help you explain your ideas to us?

Understanding Sleep Disordered Breathing

O.

It is very unlikely that nasal surgery will cure sleep apnea. The blockage is normally in the throat. If the blockage were only in the nose, your body would probably have learned to breathe through the mouth and you would not have symptoms of sleep apnea.

I could not get O's link to work, but I think this is what she was pointing to: http://www.resmed.com/en-us/patients/ab ... 40x380.swf

It is ResMed's excellent video explaining obstructive sleep apnea. It should clear up confusion about the airway anatomy.

Yep, that's the link - it takes a long time to start - even on broadband.

O.

giantred wrote:So, if I get the nasal surgery, wouldn't that mean the apnea would go away?

Depends on why YOU have apnea. If it is caused by nasal blockage, then it would help the apnea. It seems that very few people have nasal blockages causing the issue. It is usually in the throat and not just that the throat is blocked with tonsils and/or adenoids but that the throat is collapsing. Cleaning out the throat might help but won't help if your apnea is caused by the collapse of your throat.

I think I'm going to video myself at night. Does anyone know if there are 6 hour tapes that can be used for camcorders? It's those real small tapes.

I think you can set your camera to record in 2, 4, or 6 hour speedswith those small tapes. Quality decreases, of course. And you would need enough light to film. I think it was ca_hosehead who set up a night vision camera to film himself sleep. You could try that.