Sleep Apnea Treatment in Hyderabad

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Most people with sleep apnea don’t come in because of their sleep. Their partner sends them. “He snores like a generator and then just stops breathing.” Or they come because they’re exhausted all the time, nodding off at their desk, in meetings, or at a traffic signal, and they can’t understand why when they’re “sleeping eight hours”.

In Telugu, patients often describe it simply as నిద్రలో శ్వాస ఆగిపోవడం: breathing stopping during sleep.

It’s far more common than most people think. An AIIMS New Delhi analysis estimated that about 11% of Indian adults, roughly 10.4 crore people, have obstructive sleep apnea, and most have never been diagnosed. The good news is that it’s one of the most treatable conditions in sleep medicine.

When you fall asleep, the muscles of your throat relax. In most people, the airway stays open. In people with OSA, the soft tissues at the back of the throat (the tongue, soft palate and tonsils) collapse inward and block the airway.

Breathing stops (an apnea) or becomes very shallow (a hypopnea) for ten seconds or more. Oxygen drops. The brain senses the danger and briefly wakes you, just enough to restart breathing, usually with a snort or gasp. You don’t remember it. Then you fall asleep again, and the cycle repeats.

In moderate to severe OSA, this happens 15 to 30 or more times every hour, all night long. That’s why people with untreated sleep apnea wake up feeling as though they haven’t slept. In a sense, they haven’t.

Severity is measured by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), the number of these events per hour of sleep:

A less common type, central sleep apnea, happens when the brain doesn’t send the signal to breathe, rather than the throat closing. It’s seen more with heart failure, after strokes, at high altitude, and with some medicines such as strong painkillers. It’s treated differently, which is one reason a proper sleep study matters.

A pulmonologist with training in sleep medicine is the right first doctor for most adults with suspected sleep apnea. They can order and interpret the sleep study, start and adjust CPAP, and look after the lung, heart and metabolic problems that often come with it.

Other specialists are involved when needed:

• ENT surgeon: for enlarged tonsils, a blocked nose or a deviated septum, or when surgery is being considered
• Dentist trained in sleep dentistry: for a custom-made oral appliance
• Endocrinologist or dietitian: for weight management
• Cardiologist: when there’s heart disease, atrial fibrillation or resistant high blood pressure

Dr. Kishan Srikanth completed a Fellowship in Sleep Medicine with the Indian Sleep Disorders Association, New Delhi, alongside his DM in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

about Dr. Kishan

Signs at night (often noticed by your partner first):

• Loud, habitual snoring
• Pauses in breathing, followed by a snort, choke or gasp
• Restless sleep, waking often to pass urine
• Waking with a dry mouth or a choking feeling

Signs during the day:

• Feeling unrefreshed, however long you’ve slept
• Dozing off while reading, watching TV, in meetings, or while driving
• Morning headaches
• Poor concentration, forgetfulness, irritability
• Low mood

Women are less likely to report loud snoring and more likely to describe insomnia, fatigue, morning headaches, low mood or anxiety. Because of this, sleep apnea in women is often missed or put down to stress or thyroid problems. Risk rises noticeably after menopause, and during pregnancy, especially with high blood pressure in pregnancy. If you’re a woman who’s always tired despite a full night in bed, it’s worth asking about.

Since May 2026, Apple Watch users in India can receive sleep apnea notifications. The watch tracks “breathing disturbances” over 30 days and alerts you if it sees a consistent pattern suggesting moderate to severe sleep apnea.

An alert isn’t a diagnosis; Apple says so itself. But it’s a good reason to get checked. Export the three-month PDF from the Health app and bring it to your consultation, along with your partner’s observations. A sleep study will confirm whether you have sleep apnea, and how severe it is.

• Weight: being overweight, especially with a thick neck (over about 43 cm / 17 inches in men, 40 cm / 16 inches in women)
• Sex and age: men, and women after menopause; risk rises with age
• Anatomy: a narrow airway, large tonsils, a small or receding lower jaw, or a blocked nose
• Other conditions:
• High blood pressure, especially when it’s hard to control
• Type 2 diabetes
• Atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke
• Habits:
• Alcohol in the evening
• Sleeping pills
• Smoking
• Family history of sleep apnea

People of South Asian origin can develop significant sleep apnea at a lower body weight than often assumed, partly because of facial and airway structure. So “I’m not that heavy” doesn’t rule it out.

The link with blood pressure runs both ways. Many people with high blood pressure, especially blood pressure that stays high despite several medicines, turn out to have untreated sleep apnea.

what untreated sleep apnea does to the heart and blood pressure

Answer yes or no:

• Snoring loudly?
• Tired during the day?
• Observed stopping breathing?
• High blood Pressure?
• BMI over 35?
• Age over 50?
• Neck size large?
• Gender male?

Three or more “yes” answers means a higher chance of OSA and is a good reason to see a sleep specialist. It’s a screening questionnaire, not a test. A sleep study is what confirms it.

• Consultation. Your sleep history, your partner’s observations, a sleepiness questionnaire, and an examination of your nose, throat, jaw and neck. Blood pressure, weight and other conditions are reviewed.
• Sleep study. This measures your breathing, oxygen levels and heart rate (and, in a full study, brain waves and leg movements) through the night.
• Home sleep test: suitable for many adults with a high likelihood of moderate to severe OSA, done in your own bed.
• In-lab polysomnography: needed when the picture is less clear, or when other sleep disorders, significant heart or lung disease, or central apnea are suspected.
• Results and plan. Your AHI and oxygen levels decide the severity, and from there the treatment.

sleep study in Hyderabad: home and in-lab

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is a small bedside machine that blows a gentle, steady stream of air through a mask. The air pressure acts like a splint, holding the throat open, so breathing doesn’t stop. It’s the standard first treatment for moderate to severe OSA in international guidance. Most people feel the difference in their energy within the first couple of weeks.

An auto-CPAP (APAP) machine adjusts the pressure through the night automatically. It’s widely used and often suits newly diagnosed patients.

Starting CPAP well makes the difference between a machine that’s used and one that gathers dust:

• Mask fitting: nasal pillows, nasal mask or full-face mask, chosen for your face and breathing
• Pressure set from data: the correct pressure is decided from your sleep study or an auto-titration period, not guessed
• Humidifier: to prevent a dry nose and throat
• Follow-up with the machine’s data: most modern CPAP machines record hours of use, mask leak and residual AHI. Reviewing that data at follow-up visits is how problems are caught early.

Don’t buy a machine before you have a diagnosis and a prescribed pressure. A machine bought online without a sleep study can’t be set correctly, and may not even be the right type (CPAP, APAP or BiPAP). Many patients start with a short rental or trial, to make sure they can use it comfortably before buying. We’ll tell you exactly what specification to look for.

In overweight patients, losing weight reduces the number of breathing events, and sometimes resolves mild sleep apnea. It usually works alongside CPAP rather than replacing it, especially at first.

New medicines are changing this area. In December 2024 the US FDA approved tirzepatide as the first medicine for moderate to severe OSA in adults with obesity. In the SURMOUNT-OSA trials over 52 weeks, it reduced breathing events by about 25–29 per hour, compared with 5–6 per hour on placebo. Whether a weight-loss medicine is appropriate for you is a joint decision with your doctor.

Some people have sleep apnea mainly when lying on their back. If your sleep study shows this pattern, devices or techniques that keep you on your side can help, especially in milder cases.

A custom-made mandibular advancement device, fitted by a dentist trained in sleep dentistry, holds the lower jaw slightly forward during sleep. It’s an option for mild to moderate OSA, or for people who genuinely can’t tolerate CPAP.

Surgery helps when there’s a clear structural cause. Examples are large tonsils (especially in children), a blocked nose that prevents CPAP use, or jaw problems. In selected adults, more specialised procedures are considered. These are done by ENT or maxillofacial surgeons; we refer when surgery is the right option.

• Avoid alcohol for at least 3–4 hours before bed
• Avoid sleeping pills unless prescribed with your sleep apnea in mind
• Stop smoking
• Treat a blocked nose (allergy treatment helps many people)
• Keep regular sleep hours, and allow 7–8 hours in bed

If a gadget makes the snoring quieter, it can hide the sleep apnea rather than fix it. If you snore and feel tired during the day, get tested before trying remedies.

Undiagnosed sleep apnea raises the risk of breathing problems after anaesthesia. If you’re having planned surgery and snore loudly or feel sleepy during the day, mention it to your surgeon and anaesthetist. A pre-operative sleep assessment may be advised. If you already use CPAP, take it with you to hospital.

Children who snore most nights, breathe through the mouth, pause in their breathing, sweat heavily at night, wet the bed after being dry, or are hyperactive or struggling at school may have sleep apnea. In children, it’s most often caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids, and the approach is quite different from adults.

sleep apnea treatment in Hyderabad

• Your partner, or a phone recording of your snoring and breathing pauses (often the single most useful thing)
• Any previous sleep study reports, and your CPAP machine and mask if you already have one
• A list of medicines, especially sleeping pills, painkillers and blood pressure medicines
• Your smartwatch sleep data export, if you have one
• Recent blood pressure, sugar and thyroid reports