Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that is characterized by abnormal stops in breathing or abnormally low breathing when one is asleep. Each stop in breathing is known as an apnea, and can usually last between a few seconds to a few minutes. Apneas may occur too about 5 to 30 times or even more within 60 minutes. On a similar note, there exists a condition known as hypopnea, an event where there is abnormally low breathing. One is only able to determine that the condition exists only after a sleep study or a polysomnogram is done.
To understand what is sleep apnea further, it will come in handy to know that there are three forms of the condition: central, obstructive, and mixed or complex sleep apnea. Central is interrupted breathing due to lacking respiratory effort, while obstructive is the interrupted breathing with respiratory effort. As for mixed or complex, it is, well, a mix of both central and obstructive sleep apneas. Regardless of whatever type of sleep apnea you might have, it is extremely rare that a person becomes consciously aware that he is actually having breathing difficulties, even after waking up. Symptoms of sleep apnea are more typically witnessed by other people and then are just relayed to the affected person, urging for a sleep test in order to find a way to cure sleep apnea.
Should you really be concerned about sleep apnea? Because the condition causes disruptions in sleep, its effects are more of due to sleep deprivation rather than the actual breathing issues. Those suffering from sleep apneawill generally feel fatigue, accompanied by impairments in vision and reaction time. Since the mind and body both have not had proper rest, there may also be slowed information processing, lapses in judgment, and short term memory loss. Some people may also experience changes in behavior due to the condition, which may affect both work and family life.
Diagnosing sleep apnea is usually based on the assessment of a combination of symptoms and the results received from a formal sleep study. The latter mainly aims to establish an ideal diagnosis indicator that will seek to quantify the number of apnea events for every hour that you are asleep, indicators known to be the Respiratory Disturbance Index or Apnea Hyponea Index. These indicators set a threshold wherein anything above said threshold will qualify a patient to have sleep apnea. The indicators can be used as well for determining how severe ones condition is. There are different definitions that delineate apnea events but one of the most commonly agreed example states that a 10-second interval between taken breaths with conditions that include a blood desaturation level of 3% to 4% or greater or neurological arousal (at least a 3-second shift in EEG frequencies) or bothdesaturation and arousal is reported. Apart from a formal sleep study, oximetry may be considered as well as a diagnosing method of choice.
Diagnosing sleep apnea as soon as possible is important so you let your body get the kind of rest it needs and deserves. Left untreated, the condition can lead to: increased risks of diabetes, obesity, stroke, heart attack, and heart failure, high blood pressure; encourage arrhythmias; and put you in danger of driving-related and work-related accidents.
The goal of treatment for sleep apnea is to restore regular breathing when you are asleep and to relieve symptoms that arise like sleepiness during the day and loud snoring. Treatment options generally don’t involve the use of medication, but rather, are made up of the following:
- Lifestyle changes – as much as possible, treatment is kept as mild as possible. If the condition is mild enough then, lifestyle changes should be enough to bring considerable relief. Some of the lifestyle changes suggested include: avoiding medicines and alcohol that make you sleepy because they make it harder for the throat to stay open while you are asleep; losing weight; sleeping on your side to keep your throat open; using nasal sprays and allergy medication to keep nasal passages open when you sleep; and quitting smoking.
- Mouthpieces (also called as oral appliances) – mouthpieces are custom-made plastic devices that adjust your tongue and lower jaw to aid in keep airways open when you’re sleeping. Some pain and discomfort may be associated with using a mouthpiece so it is recommended that you visit your dentist or your doctor periodically for necessary adjustments.
- Breathing devices – continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is the most commonly prescribed treatment for addressing sleep apnea in adults, making use of a mask that fits either over just your nose or over your nose and mouth and blows air gently into your throat. As the air presses along the walls of your airway, the air pressure is properly adjusted to prevent airways from narrowing down or getting blocked during your sleep. Because the device will ensure that you breathe properly, snoring may be addressed as well with the use of CPAP. Typically, a CPAP technician will bring in the equipment to your home and make the necessary adjustments as ordered by your doctor. CPAP may do wonders for letting you get through the night with proper sleep but it is not without its side effects. Some of the side effects reported with using CPAP include a stuffy or dry nose, dry mouth, headaches, and irritated facial skin. If your CPAP isn’t properly adjusted, you might also get stomach bloating. If you’re not comfortable with using a certain CPAP machine, do tell your doctor so you can be prescribed another one.
- Surgery – surgery is only considered when you have a condition so worse that the first three treatment options were not able to provide you with lasting relief. What sort of surgery you get generally depends on what is causing you sleep apnea. It is typical for surgery though to work on widening breathing passages by stiffening, shrinking, or removing excess tissues around the airways or resetting your lower jaw. After-surgery throat pain may last up to two weeks.