I Am Likely Suffering From Sleep Apnea

Posted on Thu, 21 May 2020

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 21 May 2020 Answered on

12 hours ago Last reviewed on

Question : I am likely suffering from sleep apnea. My wife reports gasping, snoring, and some other red flags during sleep. I am a non-smoker and am not overweight. I am 35.

She reports that is worth after taking sedatives, like Ambien.

After the COVID situation settles, I plan to have a sleep study done.

The thought lf using CPAP scares me.

I have larger tonsils; is it possible they are contributing to the apnea symptoms? Is tonsillectomy ever indicated for sleep apnea? What are the risks?

Answered by Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Consultation

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for using Healthcaremagic.

I read your query and understand your concerns.

One of the common factor attributing to obstuctive sleep apnea (OSA) is larger tonsils and removal of them definitely helps with OSA. The other common cause for individuals with normal weight include loose tissue in oral cavity or narrow respiratory pathway. Like removal of tonsils, tightening of tissue or proper creation of airway pathway helps individuals with OSA.

The most common complication of Tonsillectomy is bleeding followed by injury to nearby tissues. However in experienced hands the risk is very low and the procedure can be easily undertaken by any experienced ENT surgeon.

CPAP is one of the options for treatment of OSA and generally recommended for middle age person with unmodifiable risk factors. Since you have modifiable risk factor in form of enlarged tonsils I feel removal of tonsils is much better option in compare to use of CPAP through out life.

I hope this helps you.
Feel free to write back to me if you have more questions.
Thanks and regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana