Assignment task: Reply to your peers post below in 100 -150 words and include one reference within the past 5 years.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a respiratory disorder that affects about 30 million Americans, whether they're formally diagnosed or not (Berg, 2022). It is characterized by closure of the pharynx (upper respiratory tract) right past the tongue and tonsils intermittently throughout sleep, causing periods of apnea or cessation of breathing. A patient with obstructive sleep apnea may present with fatigue upon awakening, snoring, and waking up gasping for air which is usually observed by a sleep partner (Lv et al., 2023). Risk factors for developing obstructive sleep apnea include obesity, smoking tobacco, large tonsils, and natural jaw placement which is why prevention and treatment of sleep apnea includes leading a healthy lifestyle by getting enough exercise to maintain a good body mass index, quitting smoking, surgical interventions such as a tonsillectomy, as well as dental devices to adjust jaw alignment and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2023). This being said, I believe it is easier said than done to rapidly lose weight and quit smoking in order to treat obstructive sleep apnea. I have had many middle-aged and elderly patients under my care with sleep apnea who require CPAP machine usage overnight in my nursing school clinical rotations. Need Assignment Help?
References:
Berg, S. (2022, April 1). What doctors wish patients knew about sleep apnea. American Medical Association.
Lv, R., Liu, X., Zhang, Y., Dong, N., Xiao, W., He, Y.-L., Yue, H., & Yin, Q. (2023). Pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic approaches in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 8(1).
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2023, September 6). Sleep apnea - treatment.