SLEEP APNEA: Snoring is Not Just Noisy

Sleep Apnea is a chronic condition that affects how people sleep. For different reasons, the person stops breathing for ten seconds or longer and coughs or gasps to take a breath. The human wakes, although it is for such a short time that s/he does not realize that anything has happened. The result is sleep that does not satisfy the person, headaches and irritability, sometimes death.

Three Types of Sleep Apnea

Central:

• This type is rare.
• Occurs when breathing signals from the brain do not reach the respiratory muscles.
• This lack of signals can be caused by stroke or heart failure.

Obstructive:

• This type is most common.
• Occurs when the airway is obstructed during sleep from the collapse of throat tissues .

Mixed:

• This type is a combination of both types.
• Occurs when the blocked airway stops the breathing which causes physical side effects.
• Side effects include a drop in blood oxygen level affecting the heart and blood vessels.

Sleep Apnea and poor sleep can cause changes in mood, depreciated energy, daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, poor memory, short attention span, concentration, and physical coordination.

Sleep Apnea can affect adults/children of any age, and is more common in men and overweight people.  Other factors include: a receding chin, a large neck, oversized tongue/tonsils/adenoids.  People who are age 40 and up, have a family history of sleep apnea, who smoke or use alcohol or sedating drugs are at higher risk of sleep apnea.

Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

Symptoms include snoring, fatigue as soon as the person wakes, sleepiness, morning headaches, dry/sore throats in morning, and depression or irritability.

Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea includes occurring symptoms, a physical exam from a physician or other medical professional, and a sleep study which provides information such as breathing, brain activity, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels.

Treatment options include oral appliance worn in mouth, surgery to remove adenoids and tonsils is available, and in more severe cases Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, in which a mask is worn around nose and mouth providing a continuous stream of air in order to keep the airway open. Additional treatment includes lifestyle changes to manage the disease such as weight loss, not smoking, sleeping on the side of the body and not on the back.