Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person stops breathing repeatedly while sleeping.  Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, including children.  Risk factors include being overweight, male gender, being over forty years of age, having a family history of sleep apnea, having a larger neck size, or having larger tonsils.  If left untreated sleep apnea could lead to hypertension, stroke, or heart problems such as a heart attack, heart failure, or irregular heart beat.  Sleep apnea can cause you to be less productive at work or school and increases your chances of having a car accident because of your sleep loss.  There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when there is partial or complete blockage of the upper airway during sleep.  During a sleep apnea episode, the diaphragm and chest muscles work harder to open the airway.  Breathing usually occurs with a loud gasp or body jerk which could wake the person or bring them into a lighter sleep.  These episodes can reduce the flow of oxygen to vital organs and cause irregular heart rate.  Many people do not complain of the interrupted sleep, but the bed partner will notice.  There are many symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea such as: night sweats, snoring, having a dry mouth when you wake up, difficulty swallowing, headaches in the morning, and having trouble concentrating.  In addition to being overweight, other risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea are smoking, high blood pressure, and family history of heart problems and stroke.  Men are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than women, but the chances increase as you get older.  Children may get obstructive sleep apnea caused by swollen tonsils.

With central sleep apnea you are physically able to breathe, but your brain does not tell your muscles to breathe.  Central sleep apnea usually occurs with other medical conditions such as damage to the brain stem, congestive heart failure, radiation to the cervical spine and others dealing mostly with the base of the brain.  Symptoms besides snoring that come with central sleep apnea are: headaches in the morning, mood problems, being very tired during the day, going to the bathroom often at night, and difficulty concentrating.

If you have a lot of the symptoms of sleep apneas or your partner notices that you stop breathing at night, see your doctor.  Both types of sleep apnea can be diagnosed after having a physical exam, taking a medical history, and having a sleep study done.  An overnight sleep study is called a polysomnogram, this study measures your air flow, heart rate, muscle activity, breathing patterns and more to help with a diagnosis.  Sometimes sleep apnea can be treated by losing weight and changing sleep positions.  Other treatments include surgery, dental devices that keep your tongue pushed forward, and continuous positive air pressure which is a mask that delivers a continuous flow of air to the nostrils.