Professional diagnosis and treatment of breathing disorders during sleep
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) triples the risk of heart attack and stroke, leads to hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, depression, and significantly reduces quality of life. If you snore and have excessive daytime sleepiness, don't wait - seek professional help.
Sleep apnea is a serious breathing disorder during sleep characterized by repeated breathing pauses (apneas) or significant reduction in airflow (hypopneas). Each episode lasts 10-60 seconds and can repeat dozens to hundreds of times per night.
The most common form. Repeated collapse of upper airways during sleep despite ongoing breathing effort.
Causes:
The brain temporarily stops sending signals to breathing muscles. Breathing effort is absent during apnea.
Causes: Heart failure, brain lesions, medications (opioids), high altitude.
Combination of obstructive and central apneas.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be suffering from sleep apnea:
WARNING: If you fall asleep while driving, reading, or watching TV, or if your partner has witnessed breathing pauses, this is a serious warning sign! Seek professional help immediately.
Untreated sleep apnea has serious health consequences:
Good news: Most of these risks significantly decrease or completely disappear with effective treatment!
For accurate diagnosis, we use state-of-the-art diagnostic methods:
Detailed conversation with our Oxford University trained specialist:
For simpler cases, we offer ambulatory testing in the comfort of your home:
Advantages: Comfortable, less expensive, sleep at home
Disadvantages: Less accurate than polysomnography, doesn't measure brain activity
For more complex cases or unclear polygraphy results, we recommend comprehensive testing in a sleep laboratory:
The Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) is calculated - number of apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep:
We also evaluate minimum oxygen saturation and time spent with saturation below 90% (important for cardiovascular risk).
Treatment choice depends on the type and severity of apnea, anatomical conditions, and your preferences:
Gold standard treatment for moderate to severe OSA - nearly 100% effective when used correctly.
The device delivers gentle air pressure through a mask to the airways, preventing their collapse. It's like an "air splint" keeping the airways open.
We guide you from the start:
About 30-50% of patients have initial adaptation problems. We will help you:
TIP: Compliance (usage) over 4 hours/night is considered successful. Ideally use CPAP all night (7-8 hours). The more you use it, the greater the benefit!
For mild OSA (AHI 5-15) these may be sufficient; for moderate and severe they are an important supplement to CPAP:
A special dental device moves the lower jaw and tongue forward, widening the airways.
Suitable for:
Effectiveness: 50-70% in AHI reduction
Disadvantages: Less effective than CPAP, possible side effects (jaw pain, bite changes), requires healthy teeth
We collaborate with specialized dentists for custom-made appliances.
Surgery is considered for:
Advantages: Permanent solution (when properly indicated)
Disadvantages: Invasive, anesthesia and complication risks, 2-4 week recovery, lower success rate than CPAP
We provide surgical services in collaboration with ENT surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons.
Not all snoring is sleep apnea. Simple (primary) snoring is noisy breathing without breathing pauses and oxygen desaturation.
Important: The only way to distinguish simple snoring from sleep apnea is testing (polygraphy/polysomnography). If you snore, don't wait - get tested!
It depends on the cause of apnea. If the cause is obesity and you lose significant weight, apnea may improve or disappear. For most patients, however, CPAP is a long-term to lifelong solution. Good news: after adaptation, most patients don't feel CPAP as a burden but as an essential tool for quality life.
Triple risk of heart attack and stroke, hypertension, increased risk of traffic accidents, reduced quality of life, depression, relationship problems. Untreated severe OSA shortens life expectancy by an average of 10-15 years.
Modern CPAP devices are very quiet (25-30 dB, like a whisper). Most partners report that CPAP is much less disturbing than loud snoring and breathing pauses!
Yes! Small travel CPAP devices exist. Most airlines allow CPAP as additional carry-on luggage. CPAP works on 110-240V, you just need a plug adapter.
For diagnosed moderate and severe OSA (AHI > 15), insurance partially covers CPAP. Patient co-payment is approximately €300-600 depending on device type. Masks and filters are changed regularly (covered by insurance upon proof of compliance).
Most patients feel dramatic improvement in daytime energy and sleepiness after the first nights. Blood pressure improvement and reduced cardiovascular risk appear over weeks to months of regular use.
Untreated sleep apnea is a serious condition. Book an examination with our Oxford University trained specialist and get an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
Book ExaminationUntreated sleep apnea triples the risk of heart attack and stroke. If you snore and feel tired, don't wait!
Diagnosis and treatment under the guidance of a physician trained at one of the world's most prestigious universities.