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Sleep Apnea (Expert Forum)
deviated septum
Answered by
Steven Y Park, MD - sleep-breathing disorders
Private Practice
New York - NY
Questions in the Sleep Breathing Disorders Forum are being answered by Dr. Steven Y. Park.
deviated septum
by tiredpoet, Jul 14, 2009 10:53AM
Hi! I have severe fatigue and sleepiness and had a sleep study that showed that during 5.75 hours of sleep I had 5 hypopneas per hour and 33 spontaneous arousals per hour. I was told that in no way did I have a sleep disorder or a breathing disorder.
I don't have any typical allergy or GERD symptoms but I recently I went to an ENT who told me I had one of the most severely deviated septums she's ever seen. She also saw signs of acid reflux and post nasal drip/congestion.
It seems to me the sleep study was flawed, to say the least. Would a severely deviated septum contribute to frequent sleep disturbances, and if so would surgery to correct the deviated septum be sensible?
I don't have any typical allergy or GERD symptoms but I recently I went to an ENT who told me I had one of the most severely deviated septums she's ever seen. She also saw signs of acid reflux and post nasal drip/congestion.
It seems to me the sleep study was flawed, to say the least. Would a severely deviated septum contribute to frequent sleep disturbances, and if so would surgery to correct the deviated septum be sensible?
Doctor's Answer
by Steven Y Park, MD, Jul 15, 2009 08:59PM
, Jul 15, 2009 08:59PM
Yes, and no. If you have chronic nasal congestion, then treating your deviated nasal septum can definitely help you to breathe better through your nose, and there's even a small chance that it may help your sleep breathing problem. Take a look at my upper airway resistance syndrome article on on my blogs on this site. You can stop breathing and wake up 20 times per hour and not have any apneas whatsoever. This is a flaw in the sleep study scoring system.
So for the sake of breathing better through your nose, it's probably worthwhile to do something definitive for your deviated septum. However, if you don't have any nasal congestion, then al this is a moot point. After the nose is address (if necessary), your problem is more likely due to your tongue. This is why you can't or prefer not to sleep on your back. The article on UARS explains this in great detail. It also explains your chronic fatigue.
So for the sake of breathing better through your nose, it's probably worthwhile to do something definitive for your deviated septum. However, if you don't have any nasal congestion, then al this is a moot point. After the nose is address (if necessary), your problem is more likely due to your tongue. This is why you can't or prefer not to sleep on your back. The article on UARS explains this in great detail. It also explains your chronic fatigue.
