Sleep apnea is a common, yet potentially life-threatening disorder where a person’s breathing repeatedly pauses and starts during sleep. These pauses, or apneas, are defined as lasting 10 seconds to a minute during which the person stops breathing altogether.
You may have this sleep disorder if you snore loudly, and wake up often during the night with a feeling that you are choking or struggling for air. The frequent interruptions of deep, restful sleep often leads to daytime sleepiness or insomnia, even when they sleep eight hours a night, sore throat, morning headaches, low sex drive, forgetfulness, and irritability.
There are two main types of sleep apnea. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea, which happens when your throat muscles relax and collapse the windpipe. The other less common type sleep apnea is central sleep apnea that comes about when your brain fails to send the correct signals to the muscles that control breathing and you stop breathing for brief periods. Some people have a combination of both types, which is called complex sleep apnea.
Cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues at the back of your throat relaxes and collapse the windpipe, cutting off airflow. The disorder affects more often in people who are overweight but anyone can be afflicted. Other people at a higher risk to develop the disorder are people with high blood pressure, with some mechanical and structural problems in the nose, throat or other parts of the upper airway, who uses alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers, or tobacco, or people over 65 years of age. Sleep apnea seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic link, possibility a physical anomaly in the nose, throat or other parts of the upper airway, passed down through genes.
When your airway is blocked and breathing stops, your brain senses the lowering of the oxygen level and awakens you from your sleep so that you can reopen your airway and start breathing. This awakening is usually so too short for you to remember it. You may try to inhale, swallow or make wheezing sounds. This pattern of apnea and awakening can be repeated five to 30 times or more per hour during the night, and affect your ability to achieve the desired deep phases of sleep that is necessary for a restful sleep and avoid daytime fatigue.
Cause of Central Sleep Apnea
The other type of apnea is central sleep apnea that occurs when your brain does not send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Central sleep apnea is much less common after obstructive sleep apnea. There are usually no physical abnormalities of the airways of a person affected, but the respiratory control center of the brain, somehow fails to send the right signals to the muscles responsible for controlling breathing.
As obstructive sleep apnea, snoring and daytime sleepiness can be symptoms of central sleep apnea. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. You may awaken with shortness of breath or have difficulty getting or maintaining sleep. People with central sleep apnea may be more likely to remember awakening than people with obstructive sleep apnea are. The most common risk factors associated with central sleep apnea are being male, heart diseases, strokes, and brain tumors. These conditions can affect the brain’s ability to regulate breathing.
Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
The symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas sometimes overlap, which makes the diagnosis of the type of sleep apnea more difficult. Diagnosis is also made difficult because many people aren’t aware of their symptoms, don’t seek help and are not diagnosed.
Doctors diagnose sleep apnea based on your medical and family histories, a physical exam, and results from sleep studies. Usually, your doctor evaluates your symptoms first and then decides whether you need to see a sleep specialist. These specialists are doctors who specialize with the diagnoses and treatment of people with sleeping disorders.
To help the sleep specialists, you may want to keep a sleep diary for 1 to 2 weeks before your initial office visit. Write down how much you sleep each night, as well as how sleepy you feel at various times during the day. Your doctor will want to know how loudly and often you snore or make gasping or choking sounds during sleep. Most likely, you will not be aware of such symptoms and must rely on a family member or sleep partner to record them for you.
Let your doctor know if you have a family history of sleep apnea.
Your doctor will do a physical exam to check your mouth, nose, and throat for abnormalities. The tonsils often are enlarged in children with sleep apnea. A physical exam and medical history may be all that’s needed to diagnose sleep apnea in children.
Adults with the condition may have an enlarged uvula or soft palate. The uvula is the tissue that hangs from the middle of the back of your mouth. The soft palate is the roof of your mouth in the back of your throat.
A sleep study is the most accurate test for diagnosing sleep apnea. A polysomnogram is the most common study for diagnosing sleep apnea. This test is done overnight by a sleep specialize either in a sleep laboratory or hospital. Sensors are placed on your scalp, face, chest, limbs, and finger to monitor your brain activity, eye movement and other muscle activity, breathing and heart rate, the volume of air moving in and out of your lungs, and the level of oxygen in your blood while you’re sleeping.
A sleep specialist reviews the results to determine the type of sleep apnea you have and how severe it is. Your treatment is then drawn up based on the test results.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
The aim of treating obstructive sleep apnea are to restore regular breathing during sleep and relieve symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness.
Lifestyle changes or home remedies may be enough to relieve mild sleep apnea, such as losing weight, sleeping on your side, stop drinking alcohol or smoking, stop taking sleep medication, treat allergies or sinus problems. A mouthpiece, sometimes called an oral appliance, may help some people with mild sleep apnea.
People who have moderate or severe sleep apnea may need breathing devices or surgery. The treatment of other medical problems associated with sleep apnea may be sufficient to eliminate the sleep disorder.
A specialized piece of equipment effective for moderate to severe sleep apnea is the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which produces a constant flow of air into the throat through a mask placed over his nose and mouth, or just over your nose while you sleep. A prescription is generally required from your doctor. The CPAP does not cure sleep apnea and sleep apnea will return once the CPAP is stopped or not used correctly.
Some people with sleep apnea may benefit from surgery. The type of surgery and how well it works depends on the cause of the condition. The goal of surgery is to enlarge the airway to restore normal breathing. Surgery usually involves removing, reducing, or tightening flabby tissue in the mouth and throat, or resetting the lower jaw.
If you have sleep apnea, talk with your doctor or sleep specialist about treatment options that are best suited for your specific condition. Currently, there are no medicines to treat sleep apnea.
Read About The Other Forms of Sleep Disorders:
Sleep Eating Disorder
Sleepwalking
Night Terrors
Sleep Talking
Snoring Problems
Sleep Attack
Shift Work Sleep Disorder
Insomnia
Sleep Apnea