Do you know someone that has been diagnosed with sleep apnea and you did not dare ask what it is exactly? Are you aware that a lot of people are unaware of being affected by this sleep disorder? Could you or someone close to you be suffering from this disorder? Let’s find out!
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that affects both the quality of sleep but also more importantly, the breathing process. While sleeping, the patient will stop breathing for periods of 10 seconds or longer which will wake him up as he is struggling to breathe. These absences of breathing are called apnea. Usually the patient is unaware of these struggling episodes.
Is there more than one kind of sleep apnea?
Did you know that there are two types of sleep apnea? The first is called OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) which is caused by relaxed soft tissue blocking the passage of air during sleep.
The second type of sleep apnea is called CSA (central sleep apnea) which is caused by irregular signals from the brain that affect the breathing process. In some cases, patients suffer from a combination of both types of sleep apnea.
What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?
The symptoms of sleep apnea are: suffering from excessive sleepiness during the day, having headaches in the morning, feeling irritable, being affected by mood changes, suffering from anxiety, being affected by depression, becoming forgetful, snoring loud and gasp for air, having restless sleep, having trouble to concentrate and even falling asleep during the day. Please note that these symptoms vary from one person to the next. Also be aware that the severity of the symptoms and the combination of symptoms vary from one patient to the next.
A bit of history
Did you know that the first case of sleep apnea that was diagnosed happened only in 1965? This is a bit odd when you consider that so many people are affected by this sleep disorder. At first, only people suffering from certain health conditions such as congestive heart failure were diagnosed with sleep apnea. It was also noticed that problems related to sleep apnea happened following surgery particularly in people that are overweight, obese or had short necks. It was later on proven that while they were noticed in these particular cases, sleep apnea does not only affect people suffering from these conditions or displaying these specific characteristics.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
This type of sleep apnea seems more common in people that have a soft palate or other abnormalities such the ones related to the jaw, people who are obese or consume alcohol. Did you know that 2% of female and 4% of males diagnosed with a mild case of sleep apnea stop breathing at least ten times per hour?
To evaluate the severity of sleep apnea in a patient, the specialist will evaluate it by using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). If a patient has less than 5 apneas per hour, it is considered normal. If it is between 5 and 15 it is mild, if it is between 15 and 30 it is moderate and over 30 is considered severe.
Also, the approximate time for each apnea (breathing interruption) is usually about 10 seconds but in more severe cases, it can reach 60 seconds.
In certain cases, sleep apnea can be cause by an external situation such as an accident, family problems, heart problems and narcolepsy. It was also held responsible either partially or totally for SIDS also known as sudden infant death syndrome.
How can it be diagnosed?
Sleep apnea is evaluated in a sleep laboratory. The patient spends the night in this laboratory and is closely monitored by both a technician with visual instruments as well as various medical resources that will also verify the level of oxygen in the blood, the breathing pattern as well as the activity of the brain.
What are the available treatments?
Well, according to the severity of the sleep apnea, a single type of treatment may help while some cases may require a combination of treatments. The available treatments are: medication, avoid antidepressants or relaxants, avoid alcohol, change of diet, quit smoking, surgery to enlarge the airways, devices to keep the patient from sleeping on his back, special pillows, oral devices and the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) which is a machine that uses a tube connected to a mask and sends continuous pressurized air to keep the airways open.
Can sleep apnea be fatal?
Sleep apnea can lead to death as it takes a huge toll on the body and affects other systems which can lead to fatal situations such as a heart attack, congestive heart failure, a stroke or the patient may fall asleep while driving for example and have a tragic accident.
It is important to know that while people between 65 and 100 years of age or that are overweigh are more susceptible to suffer from sleep apnea but it still can affect people that are not overweight, infants and children as well. That is why if you have any doubts concerning a close relative, a friend or even yourself, see a doctor as treated sleep apnea cannot only improve your quality of life but also give you the opportunity to live a long and happy life.
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Scarey
rip Thomas
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Here you can find one more useful article about Sleep and Heart Attack:
http://aboutsleepdisorders.blogspot.com/2006/12/premise-of-sleep-and-heart-attack.html
my daad has it. its scary
My name is Dr. Jonathan Greenburg, and I treat sleep apnea in the Los Angeles area. You can listen to a free interview that I did that explains sleep apnea symptoms and courses of treatment. just go here now: http://www.apnea-treatment.com
My wife can’t sleep with me in the same room because I have it so bad that I keep her awake with my snoring. I have woke up gasping for air or choking lots of times. It seriously sucks.
are you concious when this is happening?
Yes it is hard to live with ! There is nothing worse than waking up gasping for air & sleepless nights .
I have sleep apnea and sleep paralysis. Having your eyes open and not being able to breath or move is extremely terrifying. I have went to a sleep study but they were unable to diagnose anything because I kept waking up and the electrodes came loose. I never reach REM. Any suggestions?
I HAVE BEING DIAGNOSE WITH SEVERE SLEEP APNEA I STOP BREATHING 45 TIMES WITHIN A HOUR. VRY SCAREY
i stop 107 times a hour
I know how you feel they told me i stop 135 times in a hour ,i was sleeping when driving
i am only 17 and i have a severe case of sleep apnia i stop breathing 48 times an hour
i am doing a speech for my college class about sleep apnea and i was wondering if anybody can estamate how many people die a yr from it kids and adults my aunt died from sleep apnea about 7 mnths ago
i just woke up last night gasping for air and didnt know what was wrong ive did it a few times b4 but along time ago i was so scared and thought i was going to die what can i do im reallllllly scared
my brother passed away Monday from sleep apnea he was 39
VERY sorry to hear about this Jeff. It’s a horrible way to end a life. My condolences Jeff.
My friend has sleep apnea but he won’t have it checked out! My X husband had it so I know what it’s about. I am the one that actually had him diagnosed with it and he has a CPAP. My friend won’t take me serious about it!! I’m at a loss as to what to do, I’m worried! He’s not!!
My fiance died from sleep apnea. I found him on the couch did CPR till paramedics came. I suffer from PSTD, Depression and anxiety because of it. I knew he had it but didn’t know it was that serious. I am SO stupid….i would give anything – to go back to that night – and try to help him…….He was my best friend and soul mate along with my fiance – he died 5 months ago. I miss him so much. Don’t ignore this problem if they are diagnosed with it. PLEASE! He was given a CPAP machine but he couldn’t leave it on – he would wake up and freak him out – just like how you are confined in tiny spaces. God Bless you all.
It’s interesting seeing the comments on this article. I’ve suffered from sleep apnea for quite some time. I was chatting with friends tonight and decided to do a google search and found this article.
I’ve been using a CPAP machine for many years (it currently shows 19,271 hours of use on the display) and that’s pretty close to accurate.
I can say, anyone who thinks living without treatment probably isn’t aware that there’s more than getting rest. My coworkers have commented over the years about how my attitude changed within a few months of using the CPAP machine.
If you’re having trouble with your mask (either nose of full face) go back to the folks who did the sleep study and get some help. I took over a month to learn to keep my mask on at night. Now I don’t sleep without it. It may be tough, but it can save your life some day to be just that little bit more alert to avoid disaster.
For those who have a friend or family member who isn’t paying attention, you can only do what you can do. Give it your best shot, but be aware that folks will only do that they choose to. People die of preventable ailments all the time.
I didn’t set out to write such a large amount as I have done here, but being someone who has lived with sleep apnea for so long, I felt I should share my thoughts and experiences.
Take care, and sleep well!
Joe, you are exactly right. I was diagnosed with moderate obstuctive sleep apnea, a few months ago. Before the CPAP machine, The apnea woke mu up from loud snoring with tha loud ongodly sound , couple of times i woke up trying to catch my breath, Want to be doctor friends of mine said why not have tonsils taken out, Well truth is if i was going to do that i would have the tonsils, why not take the tongue out as well or any muscles in the way, In a short period of sleep time at the study i had 64 apneas, probably within 5 hours sleep, the test with the cpap i had no episodes, Every night i use the mask, its my best friend now, no problems and a very comfortable sleep and yes i notice the changes in my own self during the day, all positive. Thanks for letting everyone know just what sleep apneas is all about.
My husband was diagnosed with OSA in 2001, he had 163 apneas in 3 hours. Is there any way of finding out if he had OSA based on the numbers or is this something that can occur overnight and the numbers be so high.
I have moderate sleep apnea. I wake up gasping for air. I try to use my cpap but I end up taking it off in the middle of the night without knowing. What can I do to help myself. I am afraid I’m going to die one day.