Sleep Apnea: A Silent Killer

Getting a good night sleep is essential for your well-being. However, many people don’t realize that they are often sleep-deprived because of breathing problems. Over 90 percent of people who snore are at risk for sleep disordered breathing, or sleep apnea.

According to the National Sleep Foundation research, about 18 million of adults are not getting enough sleep because of sleep apnea. Suffering with sleep deprivation will make you feel tired and groggy, which leads to poor productivity at work and even result in bad driving habits. Your bedmate can eventually get tired of your constant moving and breathing irregularities which can cause stress and strain on your relationship and lead to separate bedrooms. 

Pauses in breathing while asleep is called sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing. Most often adults are diagnosed with obstructive apnea, or sleep disordered breathing which is caused by the blockage of the breathing passage by tonsils and adenoids.

Sleep apnea affects you in ways that you couldn’t dream of. The vicious circle of sleep apnea starts when a throat is blocked, blood oxygen level falls due to the lack of breath, and a person wakes up gasping for air.

People with sleep apnea often feel tired and sleepy during the day because their sleep quality is affected, as they move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night. These periods of not breathing, as short as they are, will inevitably wake you up from deep sleep. As a result, you are not getting enough rest from your sleep. Plus, sleep apnea causes a reduction of oxygen in the bloodstream which results in overall deprivation of cellular functions in your body.

If you snore, sleep restlessly, gasp and pause when breathing at sleep, especially during deep sleep, most likely you have sleep apnea. You can detect these symptoms yourself, or most likely you have been told about them by your partner. Sleep apnea is most common in people who are overweight. Men are also more at risk than women. Almost all people who have sleep apnea snore – at least once during the night. However, not all people who snore have sleep apnea. It’s important to check for other sleep apnea symptoms to see if you have this medical condition.

The most common symptoms of sleep apnea are snoring and sleepiness during the day. Other symptoms include:

Restless tossing and turning during sleep.
Nighttime choking
Nighttime sweating
Mild to severe chest pain
Waking tired after sleep
Having problems with memory and concentration
Feeling irritable and nervous
Experiencing personality changes
Morning headaches
Heartburn
Swelling of the legs

Undetected sleep apnea may increase your risk for hypertension, heart attack or stroke, as well as diabetes and work-related and driving accidents. Sleep apnea can also cause brain damage and result in shorter life span.

If sleep apnea is successfully treated and you start sleeping better, you will experience a huge boost of energy. Many people even report having less asthma, they are calmer, with more positive outlook; they have improved stamina and better functioning immune system. So if you suspect you or your partner is suffering with this condition you should speak to your doctor to discuss possible treatment plans.

Sleep Disorder - The Night Phantom

Sleep apnea is a condition when you stop breathing for a short interval repeatedly during sleep. Apnea means "Without Breath" in Greek; the word aptly describes the condition of patients suffering from sleep apnea. You may have breathing difficulty while sleeping, which may break your sleep also. Sleep apnea may cause high blood pressure, chances of stroke, impotence etc. This may seem a simple snoring disease, but it can be extremely harmful and should never be neglected.

Symptoms of sleep apnea:
These are some of the common symptoms of sleep apnea, though they may vary from person to person:

• Tendency to sleep more during the day. 
• Interrupted snoring with periods of improper breathing. 
• A small or recessed jaw.
• Obesity. 
• A very tired feeling in the morning.
• Gasping or snoring respirations in the night.
• Unexplained right side heart or respiratory failure. 
• Memory or concentration problems.
• Excessive snoring at night.

Types of apnea:

There are basically three types of apnea:

Obstructive sleep apnea: This is the most common, with 9 out of 10 cases of apnea coming under this category. It is often incorrectly called Pickwick Syndrome. Here, repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction occur during sleep, which is generally associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. The obstruction may be excess tissue in the airway, large tonsils, or a large tongue. Another site of obstruction can be the nasal passages.

Central sleep apnea: This is not very common. This is related to the function of the central nervous system. The muscles that you use to breathe don't get a clear signal from the brain, thus causing this problem. Either the brain doesn't send the signal, or the signal gets interrupted.

Mixed apnea: This is a combination of central and obstructive apnea. The most affected people are infants or young children, who have abnormal control of breathing. Mixed apnea may occur when a child is awake or asleep.

Snoring is another symptom of sleep apnea. It is the loud, rough rattling noise that you make while sleeping, caused when the soft palate and uvula vibrates. Snoring is believed to occur in anywhere from 30% of women to over 40% of men. When snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing, it is known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Treatments:

Sleep apnea can be cured by the following methods:

• Losing weight.
• Cutting down on alcohol.
• Using Nasal Dilator strips.
• Using dental appliances to prevent tongue from falling back.
• Surgery - Tracheostomy, Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, Mandibular Myotomy, Laser Assisted Uvuloplasty, Laup Radio Frequency (RF) Procedure or Somnoplasty.
• Palatoplasty - stiffening of the palate using surgery or injection.
• Using special pillows or devices to keep the airway open during sleep.
• Using a CPAP mask.
• Adjust your sleeping position, which might alleviate snoring.