What is Sleep Apnea and How to Deal with It

There are two distinct forms of sleep apnea. The first one is called Central, there is no blockage however breathing is interrupted by the lack of effort which means the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. The second one is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. This type is when breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

No matter which of these you may have, the person with sleep apnea is usually not aware of having difficultly breathing, even upon awakening. This problem is recognized by others who witness the individual during episodes or it is suspected because of its effects on the person's body. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing but the quality of sleep is extremely poor.

However, with both types people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and sometimes for a minute or longer. If it is not treated it can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problem, weight gain, and headaches. Untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. The good news is that sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. There are several treatment options that exist but they depend on an individual's medical history, the severity of the disorder and more importantly, the specific cause of the obstruction. Once you have a proper diagnosis, your doctor can recommend treatment.

One such way to deal with OSA is with using a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP) which forces a continuous stream of air in the throat and lungs to prevent obstructions that cause sleep apnea. For this treatment, you wear a special mask over your nose and mouth while you are sleeping. Despite decades of research and tests there are very few drug-based treatments for OSA.

Obstructive sleep apnea is more common than Central Sleep Apnea. It has been proven through carefully studied tests done in sleep labs that approximately 1 in 5 American adults have at least a mild form of Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA. Sleep Apnea is more common in men that women. Many people experience elements of obstructive sleep apnea for only a short period. This is usually the result of an upper respiratory infection that causes nasal congestion, along with sweeling of the throat or tonsillitis that temporarily produces very enlarged tonsils. Also, temporary spells of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome may also occur in individuals who are under the influence of a drug or alcohol that may relax their body tone to extreme and interfere with normal arousal from sleep mechanisms.

There are some signs of obstructive sleep apnea which include restless sleep, and loud snoring with periods of silence followed by gasps. Many people snore and do not have sleep apnea. There is a sign that is more suggestive of sleep apnea that occurs if snoring stops. If it does, along with breath, while the persons' chest and body tries to breathe, then that is literally a description of an event in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. After the breathing starts again and there is typically a deep gasp, and then the snoring continues.

There are other symptoms such as: awakening with a dry mouth, excessive daytime sleepiness or Hypersomnia, morning headaches, trouble concentrating, irratability, forgetfulness, mood or behavior changes, increased heart rate, anxiety, depression, increased frequency of urination, esophagela reflux and heavy sweating at night. . Not everyone who has these symptoms will have sleep apnea, but it is recommended that people who are experiencing even a few of these symptoms visit their doctor for evaluation.

The most serious consequence of OSP is to the heart because in severe and prolonged cases there are increases in pulmonary pressures that are transmitted to the right side of the heart. The result being in a severe form of congestive heart failure.

Risk factors for Obstructive sleep apnea include:

Excessive weight
High Blood Pressure
Family History of Sleep Apnea
The Use of Alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers
Smoking

Risk factors for Central sleep apnea include:
Males are more likely to develop central sleep apnea
Heart disorders
Stroke or brain tumor
Neuromuscular disorders
Sleeping at an altitude higher than you're accustomed to may increase your risk of sleep apnea

Here are several organizations that you can check out for more information:

American Sleep Apnea Association
1424 K Street, NW
Suite 302
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202-293-3650
Website: http://www.sleepapnea.org

National Sleep Foundation
1522 K Street NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202-347-3471
Website: http://www.sleepfoundation.org

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI)
National Institutes of Health, DHHS
31 Center Drive, Rm. 4A21 MSC 2480
Bethesda, MD 20892-2480
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Tel: 301-592-8573/240-629-3255