Perhaps your partner has noticed pauses in your breathing. Or you wake up tired, even after a full night in bed. When snoring comes with choking, gasping or daytime sleepiness, it deserves a closer look.
Consult Dr. Md. Abdullah Al Mamun in Dhaka to understand what is affecting your breathing during sleep and whether surgery could help.
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Snoring alone does not confirm obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA happens when the airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep, interrupting breathing.
A sleep study helps establish whether you have sleep apnoea and how severe it is. This matters because treatment should address your breathing, as well as the noise that keeps your family awake.
Sleep surgery treats areas of the airway that contribute to blockage during sleep. Depending on the findings, this may involve the tonsils, soft palate, tongue base or other structures.
Surgery is not the first step for everyone. CPAP, which keeps the airway open using air pressure through a mask, is a standard treatment for OSA. Weight management, sleeping position and a custom oral appliance may also help suitable patients.
A surgical assessment may be worth considering if you struggle to use CPAP despite support, or have an obstruction that could benefit from an operation. Sometimes surgery helps make CPAP easier to use rather than replacing it.
In some people, tissue at the back of the tongue takes up space and contributes to airway blockage during sleep.
Tongue reduction surgery reduces selected tissue in this area to create more room for breathing. The technique depends on the anatomy and the cause of obstruction. It may be combined with another procedure when blockage occurs in more than one place.
The decision depends on how the tongue affects your airway during sleep—not simply how large it looks when you open your mouth.
The epiglottis is a small flap above the voice box that helps protect the airway when you swallow. In some people, it folds backwards during sleep and obstructs breathing.
Epiglottopexy secures the epiglottis in a more stable position to reduce this collapse. It is considered for selected patients when an examination confirms that the epiglottis is contributing to their sleep apnoea.
A test called drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) can help identify this problem. It uses a small camera to observe the airway while you are sedated.
For suspected sleep apnoea, a sleep study is an important part of assessment. It measures breathing disturbances; an airway examination helps locate the obstruction. DISE may provide additional information when planning surgery.
Not automatically. Some people still need CPAP or another treatment afterwards. Follow-up assessment, often including another sleep study after healing, helps establish how much the operation has helped. Continue prescribed treatment unless your treating team advises a change.
Ask which part of your airway the operation will treat, what improvement is realistic and what recovery will involve. Discuss procedure-specific risks, including bleeding and swallowing difficulties, as well as the possibility that sleep apnoea may persist.
Bring any previous sleep study reports and details of treatments you have tried. If someone has noticed pauses, choking or changes in your breathing, their observations can help explain what you may not notice yourself.
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