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Obstructive Sleep Apnea is characterized by snoring and possible irregular breathing. People with sleep apnea have disturbed sleep and may have reduced oxygen levels during sleep. Left untreated, sleep apnea often results in daytime sleepiness and fatigue. An estimated 20 million Americans are affected and up to 80 percent are undiagnosed and untreated. Sleep Apnea increases the risk of the following:
Snoring, Silence, and Sleepiness are three of the symptoms which may indicate that you or your spouse may be suffering from sleep apnea. Loud snoring is the most common complaint associated with sleep apnea. Many of the patients studied at the Sleep Disorders Center of Oklahoma have continually heard complaints from their spouses or family members about how the patient's loud snoring distracts others while they sleep. One frequent and unfortunate result of the loud snoring is the patient having to move into a separate bedroom from their bed partner so the bed partner may get some sleep.
Silence or respiratory pauses are also seen in sleep apnea.These usually occur in the midst of loud snoring. The silence is caused by the blockage of the airway by tissue in the nose or throat. The patient will actually stop breathing for as long as 90 seconds during these times. A number of things occur during the respiratory pauses (apneas).
First, the major organs in the body are deprived of oxygen. Second, blood pressure will increase until the patient breathes. Third, the heart rate may decrease and the heart may skip beats, or even stop for a few seconds due to the lack in the supply of oxygen.
These periods of apnea are much more disturbing to the spouse or bed partner than the snoring. Spouses have told of stories how they had to elbow or shake the sleep apnea patient so they would start breathing again. Upon beginning to breathe again, the patient will make a loud snort or snore followed by several gasps for air.
Loud snoring and the respiratory silence due to apneas are symptoms which the patient may be completely unaware. This pattern of breathing in combination with the loud snoring disrupts sleep and doesn't allow the patient to get the deeper more restful stages of sleep. Daytime sleepiness or excessive fatigue are symptoms which may result from sleep apnea and people with sleep apnea often have difficulty throughout the day staying awake or concentrating. Morning headaches, personality or mood changes, and impotence may also be related to sleep apnea.
If sleep apnea is suspected, the only way of accurately diagnosing and treating the disorder is through a sleep study. A sleep study (which is called a polysomnogram) measures a patient's brain waves, respiration, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, muscle activity and other vital signs during stages of sleep.
If the apnea is left untreated, the patient has a higher risk of accidents secondary to sleepiness, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Fortunately, effective treatment is available for snoring and sleep apnea and provides the patient with increased alertness and with survival.
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