An estimated 22
million people suffer from sleep apnea in America, with 80% of the moderate to
severe cases being undiagnosed (“Sleep Apnea Information for Clinicians”, n.d.). Sleep apnea is a serious, chronic sleeping
disorder that involves the interruption of an individual’s breathing in their
sleep (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2012; “Sleep Apnea Symptoms”,
n.d.). This means that someone with
untreated sleep apnea will be repeatedly stopping their breathing in their sleep,
and this can happen hundreds of times, depriving the brain and other organs
from receiving adequate oxygen; decreased oxygen and disturbed sleep triggers
the release of stress hormones (NHLBI, 2012). The majority of sleep apnea cases are
categorized as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which caused by a blockage of the
airway, usually when soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses (“Sleep
Apnea Symptoms”, n.d.). Central sleep
apnea, less common, is where brain fails to send signals to the muscles to
breathe (“Sleep Apnea Symptoms”, n.d.).
Due to the importance
of proper oxygenation to your organs and tissues, untreated sleep apnea can
lead to increased high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and
diabetes (“Sleep Apnea Symptoms”, n.d.).
Other complications and risks of untreated sleep apnea include increased
risk of heart failure and heart arrhythmias as well as increasing your risk of
accidents, in the work place and driving, due to feelings of fatigue and
tiredness (“Sleep Apnea Symptoms”, n.d.).
Diagnosis of
sleep apnea is difficult since it is occurring while you are asleep and
requires a sleep study, also known as a polysomnogram, for proper diagnosis (NHLBI,
2012). However, you can become familiar
with some signs and symptoms of sleep apnea, with the most common being loud snoring
followed by choking and/or gasping (NHLBI, 2012). Other common symptoms include morning
headaches, irritability, mood and personality changes, and waking up with a
sore or dry throat (NHLBI, 2012). You
may also be more at risk if you are overweight, over 40 years old, are male,
have nasal obstructions, GERD, or family history of sleep apnea; although it is
important to realize anyone can have sleep apnea (NHLBI, 2012).
Now that you
are properly equipped to recognize the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea, you
can have a discussion with your doctor about proper diagnosis through a
polysomnogram and discuss the best, possible treatment options (lifestyle
changes, mouthpieces, breathing devices, or surgery) for you!
National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute (2012, July 10). “What Causes Sleep Apnea?” Retrieved December
03, 2017, from
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sleepapnea/causes
Sleep Apnea Information for
Clinicians. (n.d.). Retrieved December 03, 2017, from https://www.sleepapnea.org/learn/sleep-
apnea-information-clinicians/
Sleep Apnea Symptoms. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 03, 2017, from https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-
apnea/symptoms-of-sleep-apnea
I think that sleep apnea is especially dangerous because so many people view snoring as being a somewhat normal occurrence that tends to happen as we get older. Additionally, unless someone with sleep apnea has someone in the room with them while they are undergoing the snoring and choking/gasping, they may not even be aware that they have anything wrong with their sleep pattern.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Arous et al. 2017, another issue regarding sleep apnea is that while people may be familiar with the term sleep apnea, they may not know of the litany of negative impacts it can have. Ignorance on these impacts can prevent people from seeking medical care even when they believe they may have sleep apnea.
References:
Arous, F., Boivin, J.-M., Chaouat, A., Rumeau, C., Jankowski, R., & Nguyen, D. T. (2017). Awareness of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome among the general population of the Lorraine Region of France. European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases, 134(5), 303–308. http://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anorl.2017.02.010
The symptoms are so common that it really makes me think I should go in and get a polysomnogram done to rule out sleep apnea. Considering how severe this can turn into, in terms of adverse health effects, I wish the signs of this disorder (along with many other illnesses) weren’t so common so that we could do a better job of diagnosing it and earlier. The earlier it is diagnosed the more likely the patient will be able to reverse any chronic adverse conditions from developing (i.e. hypertension, diabetes type II, etc) and restore good sleep quality. Prevention is the best medicine, especially for these secondary disorders that can occur, which are very much in the comorbidity classification.
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you did this post to increase awareness! I just thought my boyfriend snored but turns out he actually does have sleep apnea (not like he ever uses his machine though but I’m definitely going to push him more now!). Thanks for the great information!
Reference:
Maurer, J. T. (2008). Early diagnosis of sleep related breathing disorders. GMS Current Topics in Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 7, Doc03.