You may have symptoms of having problems sleeping at night because you cannot get enough oxygen. Or you may also feel exhausted and irritable for having a disturbed night’s sleep. If this happens on a frequent basis, your doctor (and dentist) need to verify if you indeed have a breathing condition or a kind of sleep apnea causing insomnia. Has anyone mentioned anything about undergoing tests, like a sleep study or having a deviated septum self test done to rule out such an issue?
Sleep Apnea: A Complicated Breathing Problem
So, what is sleep apnea, exactly? To put it another way, it is a disorder that keeps you from breathing properly when you sleep. During your sleep, you stop and start breathing repetitively if you have sleep apnea. This becomes a serious condition if you also have pre-existing conditions like heart disease or lung issues. To put it in perspective, the American Sleep Apnea Association estimated that over 22 million Americans suffer from this disease.
However you put it, there are a variety of causes for sleep apnea, so you need to discover what has been causing yours. Based on your diagnosis, you may be able to get specialized therapies to help reduce several of the problems.
This guide will outline everything you need to understand about any sleep problem coming from a deviated septum. We will also speak about how to do a test to see if you have the same disease. If you want to learn more about questions like ‘how is deviated septum related to sleep apnea?’ and ‘how can I know and diagnose it?’, then keep reading.
Deviated Septum: An Overview
When the thin wall (nasal septum) between your nasal passages shifts to one side, you have a deviated septum. In this type of nasal obstruction issue, the nasal septum is off the center in many patients, making one nasal channel narrower.
A significantly deviated nasal septum can obstruct one side of the nose and restrict airflow on the nasal passage, making breathing difficult. When a deviated septum gets exposed to the drying action of the airflow going through the nasal cavity, it can cause crusting or bleeding in certain persons. Since we already defined deviated septum, here, get more information about the following:
- deviated septum symptoms
- deviated septum diagnosed
- Septal deviation treatment recommendations
Deviated Septum Signs and Symptoms
Doctors still have the best and most reliable say when diagnosing a deviated septum. If possible, have a doctor perform certain tests to confirm your septal deviation. Meanwhile, through many patients’ accounts, here is a list of symptoms and signs that a person with a deviated septum can feel and observe.
- difficulty breathing
- nasal congestion (stuffy nose)
- frequent sinus infections
- frequent nosebleeds
- repetitive postnasal drip or frequent rhinitis (colds)
- facial pain
- snoring loudly
Please keep in mind that this list is by no means complete, but it will give you a good sense of what to look for. To determine the degree of your deviated septum, your healthcare practitioner may need to do a CT scan.
Test for Deviated Septum
Please keep in mind that this list is by no means complete, but it will give you a good sense of what to look for. To determine the degree of your deviated septum, your healthcare practitioner may need to do a CT scan.
The good news is that you may find out whether you have a deviated septum in a variety of methods. If you have sleeping or breathing issues and want further proof, you may do a simple test in the comfort of your own home without the need for any special equipment.
The following steps can help you take the deviated septum self test:
- With your index finger placed on a side of your nose (closed nostril), inhale through the other nasal canal (open nostril).
- Reverse the procedure on the other side of your nose. This makes you observe the airflow in both nasal cavities and from one nostril to another.
- Check how simple or difficult it was for air to travel through your nose while performing the first two steps.
- If your breathing is uneven or more difficult on one nostril than the other, you may have a respiratory problem like, yes, a deviated nasal septum.
Apart from such a self-examination test, there are a few additional apparent indicators or warning signs that you suffer from septal deviation. For instance, if you complain of having frequent nosebleeds, face discomfort (facial pain), or headaches, and other symptoms related to your nose and breathing, then you possibly have a deviated septum.
Deviated Septum Diagnosis: Doctors can Best tell
Self-diagnosis cannot satisfy your medical concerns, especially if you have other breathing issues. For instance, if you have nasal symptoms like sinus infections, allergy bouts, nasal congestion, or colds, pinpointing deviated septum on your own as the culprit becomes senseless. Why? Because the other mentioned findings can also demonstrate the same signs and symptoms.
Even if you have ruled out other options and become certain that you have a deviated septum, you should still visit with a reliable doctor to ensure you have the proper sinus surgery or deviated septum surgery.
Treatments for Septal Deviation
Honestly speaking, some may have this nasal septal issue without them knowing it. This just shows that you do not necessarily need invasive treatments all the time. sometimes, symptomatic solutions like using nasal sprays for nasal congestion can suffice.
Having said that, if your symptoms worsen or progress with the intent of disturbing a good night’s sleep, then visiting your doctor becomes a priority. There are surgical procedures that he can perform when it comes to correcting nasal obstruction, deviation of your septum, or nasal bone fractures.
Most of them are considered as an outpatient procedure, some instances may require you to stay off work for two weeks to a month to fully recover. Talk to your doctor and discuss your condition and expectations so he can guide you better. Talk about the risks, preparation before and after, and well as the cost of your surgery, to enlighten you on what to expect from your treatment and your doctor.
References:
Deviated septum.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/deviated-septum/symptoms-causes/syc-20351710
Is Your Nose Working Against You? 5 Signs of a Deviated Septum.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-your-nose-working-against-you-5-signs-of-a-deviated-septum/
Deviated septum.
https://www.medicinenet.com/deviated_septum/article.htm
Sleep apnea.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8718-sleep-apnea
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