HEALTHY BODY · JANUARY 2019
S
leep apnea is
most common
in overweight
people and
affects men more
than women. It can occur at
any age but frequently in the
elderly.
People with enlarged tonsils
or a deviated nasal septum,
those with abnormalities of
the upper airways, smokers,
people taking certain
medications, and those
who drink large amounts of
alcohol are most prone to
developing sleep apnea.
You wake up drained of
energy even after sleeping
for eight hours. You're
moody the entire morning
and find it hard to focus on
your work tasks. You pour
yourself another cup of
coffee, hoping it will solve
the problem, and manage to
cross off everything on your
to-do list. Finally, you reach
home feeling exhausted
with a terrible headache and
unable to think of anything
that requires attention.
"A quick nap should do it,"
you tell yourself, but just
when you're about to fall
asleep, your breathing stops
for a few seconds. You
change your position and
finally manage to fall asleep
but wake up with chest pain
and feeling dizzy.
Sleep apnea disrupts sleep
and manifests through
breathing pauses, snoring,
a choking sensation while
sleeping, restless sleep,
SLEEP APNEA
THE LEADING CAUSE OF
DAYTIME SLEEPINESS
insomnia, and shallow breathing while
resting. It's one of the most common
chronic conditions affecting U.S. adults and
the most undiagnosed sleep disorder in our
country.
sleep causing the already
mentioned symptoms.
Other manifestations
of sleep apnea include
confusion, anxiety, and
sexual dysfunction, while
The condition is also typically evidenced by
potential complications
excessive daytime sleepiness, headaches during include:
the day, irritability, mood changes, depression,
o High blood pressure
and poor memory, focus and attention.
o Irregular heartbeats
o A higher risk of heart
Unfortunately, the symptoms of sleep
disease, heart failure, and
apnea aren’t specific and there’s no visible
stroke
manifestation that tells people that they’re
o A higher risk of
suffering from this condition, so the ailment
accidents while driving
often passes unrecognized. People can suffer
o Daytime sleepiness that
from OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) for years
affects thinking patterns,
without knowing it, as there's no blood test to
making it difficult to
diagnose this health problem and the condition
remember things and to
can't be detected during routine check-ups.
concentrate
o A higher risk of
THEN HOW DO I GET DIAGNOSED,
pulmonary hypertension
YOU MIGHT ASK.
Usually a family member or partner notices
that the sufferer is snoring and stops
The condition, which
breathing during sleep, with breathing
affects more than 20
pauses lasting up to a few minutes. After such million adults in the U.S.,
pauses, there is a loud snort or choking sound is diagnosed based on
and normal breathing starts again. This tends
personal or family history,
to reoccur frequently throughout sleep.
physical examination, and
through polysomnography.
Sufferers may or may not wake up, but
This sleep study monitors
the condition usually disrupts their normal
activity while sleeping (or
sleep pattern and makes it difficult to have
trying to sleep) and analyzes
a restful sleep. People with sleep apnea
the sleeping pattern by
wake up tired, with the poor quality of
recording a series of
parameters, among which
are blood oxygen levels,
body position, brain waves,
and electrical activity of
muscles.
CAN SLEEP APNEA BE
TREATED?
Several treatments—both
invasive and noninvasive—
are available for this
condition, so if your energy
levels are lower than
usual, you feel moody
and tired during the day,
find it difficult to focus
and perform any task
that requires thinking and
analyzing, and your partner
complains about snoring, it
may be a good idea to ask
for help.
Sleep apnea occurs when
the muscles and soft tissues
inside the throat relax too
much and collapse, causing the
obstruction of the airways and
preventing air from passing
through the passages.
To treat the condition one
can use dental appliances
or mouthpieces that blow
air into the airways during
the night (called CPAP, or
continuous positive airway
pressure devices). Losing
weight for those who
are overweight, quitting
smoking, and limiting alcohol
consumption can also help. In
severe cases, more complex
treatments, including surgery,
may be recommended.
By Andreea Macoveiciuc
14 HEALTHY MAGAZINE