Sleep Apnea
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder that is characterized by pauses in breathing while a person is asleep. The term apnea is Greek meaning "without breath" and the sleep apnea episodes have the capability to last long enough so that one or more breaths are missed. These occur repeatedly throughout sleep. There are three types of apnea that are known in the disorder; central, mixed and the most common type of apnea, obstructive.
- Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe however, the airway is not blocked. A person who suffers from central sleep apnea might awaken with shortness of breath or headaches.
- Mixed sleep apnea occurs when elements of both the central and the obstructive sleep are present.
- Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway gets blocked when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. People with this condition are unaware that they suffer from apnea and might think their sleep is unhindered at night.
What Are The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea?
The common symptoms of central and obstructive sleep apnea are similar and include:
- Awakening with a sore throat and/or dry mouth
- Morning headache
- Loud snoring at night
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Episodes of not breathing at night
- Abrupt awakenings accompanied by shortness of breath
- Excessive tiredness during the day that might interfere with work and other activities.
Please consult a physician when the shortness of breath awakens you at night, if there are intermittent pauses in your breathing during sleep, if you snore loud enough to disrupt others or yourself, or if the excessive drowsiness interferes with work or other normal activity. However, excessive daytime drowsiness is also one of the signs of narcolepsy; another sleeping disorder.
I Am Concerned About My Snoring And I think I Might Have Sleep Apnea; How Is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?
It is a good idea to have a sleep diary on hand to record your symptoms for a few nights. In this diary, your sleeping partner will record your snoring and how loud the snores are. Other information will include other troubling symptoms such as breathing difficulties and how well you sleep overall. If a sleep partner is unavailable, recording yourself is a satisfactory alternative. Software programs are available that will help you record yourself with your computer or you can use a sound-activated audio recorder. If you cannot afford the equipment you can also ask a friend or loved one to observe your sleep pattern for a few days or you can visit a sleep center for observation.
After you make a record of your sleeping pattern, consult a physician who is knowledgeable in sleep disorders or a sleep specialist. During your visit, your nose and mouth will be examined for any obstructions that might interfere with your sleep. Other tests will include a CT scan of the head and neck, an endoscopy of your nose and throat, and x rays. If a diagnosis of sleep apnea is suspected, you will be sent to a sleep clinic for an overnight sleep study.
What Are The Treatments For Sleep Apnea?
If you suffer from a mild case of sleep apnea, your doctor might prescribe some self-help treatments to relieve some of the symptoms. These treatments include:
- Sleeping on your side. Since some people experience symptoms when they sleep on their backs, special remedies and pillows can help them stay on their side when they sleep. One of the most well known remedies is to put a tennis ball under you to make sleeping on the back uncomfortable.
- Avoiding the use of tobacco, sleeping pills and alcohol before going to bed can help reduce the chance of the airway closing during the night.
- Losing weight if you need to lose weight. Fat deposits around your upper airway may obstruct your breathing.
- Make sure your sleeping hours are stabilized. Irregular sleep hours can throw off your sleep cycles and lead to breathing problems during the most important sleep stages.
- Keep your nasal passages open by using saline nasal spray.
For moderate to severe apnea, some treatments that will help relieve symptoms include:
- A Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that delivers air pressure through a mask placed over your nose while you sleep. The air pressure in the CPAP is somewhat greater than that of the surrounding air, and enough to keep your upper airway passages open, preventing apnea and snoring.
- Oral appliances can also be used to keep your airway open by moving your jaw forward.
- Surgical treatments are also available to patients with sleep apnea. Surgeries might include removing enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or nasal surgery to remove polyps or straighten a crooked partition between your nostrils as well as other options.
This site is meant only to provide information and resources about sleep apnea and sleep disorders. It is not meant to diagnose any sleep problems. If you suspect you may have some sleep disorder, then please, see your doctor, and get his professional opinion and advice.