Most people would like to dismiss their snoring as a normal phenomenon during sleep. They feel it’s the spouses who are the only one affected.

Wrong!

Snoring can be a sign of a bad disease called OSA – Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It is characterized by fatigue, day-time sleepiness and frequent disturbance of sleep at night. It is a dangerous disease since it produces lack of oxygen and accumulation of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), leading to heart disease and high blood pressure in the long run. Patients with untreated OSA commonly suffer with heart attacks and strokes that have a high fatality.

OSA has a strong association with obesity. Hence the treatment of OSA targets the weight of a person.

In dedicated centers treating OSA, like ours, the following policy is adopted:

• If patient is mildly obese (BMI < 35) then treatment comprises of CPAP machine (a device that is applied in the nose and mouth to deliver oxygen during night) or an ENT surgery.

• If the patient is moderately or severely obese (BMI > 35), bariatric surgery is strongly recommended.

Bariatric surgery produces dramatic improvement in OSA. Within days of surgery, patients have tremendous benefits in many ways, which are listed as follows:

1. They sleep better with less awakening in the night.
2. Snoring is gone, much to the relief of their spouse.
3. They feel fresh when they wake up in the morning.
4. The blood pressure is improved.

Because of these reasons, bariatric surgery has become popular for obese patients with OSA throughout the world!