<![CDATA[For common disorders and bodily ailments, usually treatment requires a few days to a few weeks to see an improvement and a complete fix of the problem. When you have pink eye you may be given an aggressive 3-5 day treatment of antibiotics. If you have a stomach virus many times waiting and the help of anti-nausea medication are the best cures. While treatments differ for each condition, the key is that treatment usually has a start and an end. However, when treating some conditions such as sleep apnea, therapy cannot and should not be stopped. This is because sleep apnea isn’t a temporary condition which means that temporary therapy shouldn’t be sought.
In fact, a Swiss study that was recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that after selecting a random group of CPAP users, the sleep apneics that stopped treatment altogether found that daytime sleepiness and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) returned in just two weeks. Also within this short time period, the patients saw a decrease in vascular function as well as an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
This study alone shows just how important continuous sleep apnea therapy is. Even in a just a few days, the sleep apneics who halted treatment experienced a complete relapse and began to suffer from common sleep apnea symptoms.
Sleep Apnea Therapy Is Required Each Night
Whenever a sleep apneic is sleeping, therapy should be readily available and used. No matter if you’re away from home on vacation or changing your sleep schedule due to a new job, therapy should be used whenever you are sleeping. Once you are fitted with an effective sleep apnea therapy, treatment should remain constant and should not be stopped or changed unless you are directed to do so.
Treatment is needed whenever you sleep so that sleep apnea symptoms can be kept at bay and so that you are able to sleep without interruptions that cause your heart, brain, and other internal organs to function irregularly and under increased stress.
While sleep apneics may stop treatment for various reasons, don’t let a failed treatment stop you from taking control of your sleep apnea. Studies have shown that some patients are CPAP-intolerant, despite the fact that the treatment is widely praised and has become the gold standard in treating sleep apnea. Some patients may think that CPAP-intolerance isn’t normal and that seeking a better treatment is useless.
However, with the help of Dr. Siegel, finding the right sleep apnea therapy for you is a reachable goal. CPAP-intolerance isn’t rare nor is it the end all to sleep apnea treatment. Instead, working with Dr. Siegel will allow you to find an alternative sleep apnea therapy, such as oral appliance therapy, that too has proven to keep sleep apneics safe at night. Contact our office today for a sleep apnea treatment consultation.]]>
