Sleep disorders are common among many people. According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep apnea is one of the potentially most serious sleep disorders and affects more than 18 million people. This condition usually occurs during sleep when breathing is involuntarily interrupted. People of all ages and genders are affected by this condition.
OSA and Snoring
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most chronic and common type of sleep disorder that affects breathing due to relaxation of the throat muscles. There are several signs and symptoms of OSA. People who suffer from this sleep disorder may snore, wheeze, or choke during sleep. These noises can occur repeatedly 5 to 30 times or more each hour during the night. The main symptom, according to the Mayo Clinic, is loud snoring. Snoring is noisy breathing that occurs during sleep and may be considered unbearable by sleep partners. It is the most common symptom of sleep apnea, although not all people who snore suffer from this sleep disorder. Snoring happens when the throat muscles relax, the tongue falls backward, and the throat narrows. The walls of the throat vibrate during breathing. This mainly occurs when inhaling, but it can also happen to a lesser extent when exhaling. The person sleeping is partially aroused by the brain to resume breathing, causing poor sleep.
Risk factors for OSA
Although OSA can affect people of all ages, certain factors may increase the risks:
-Age: People over 40 are at higher risk.
-Overweight: Fat deposits around the upper airways can cause an obstruction of breathing.
-Male gender: It is more likely to occur in men than in women.
-Family history: The risk of developing sleep apnea is higher for people who have relatives with this condition.
-Alcohol use: Alcohol relaxes the muscles of the throat.
-Smoking: Smoking can cause inflammation and fluid retention in the airways.
-Neck circumference: A thicker neck can narrow the airway.
-Narrow airways: Enlarged adenoids or tonsils or a naturally narrow throat.
-Nasal congestion: Difficulty breathing through the nose increases the likelihood of developing OSA.
People with OSA often have comorbid conditions such as excessive daytime sleepiness and difficulty concentrating. They are also at higher risk of automobile accidents, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and strokes.
Seek a Sleep Specialist
You may not notice your snoring. Therefore, it's important to seek treatment if your sleep partner notices snoring. People are often referred for evaluation by a doctor or their family physician. However, if you don’t have a family doctor, you can directly contact a sleep specialist recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. Some doctors, such as neurologists, psychiatrists, ear, nose, and throat specialists, pulmonologists, and general physicians (usually internists or general practitioners), are currently working as sleep specialists. Additionally, some dentists specialize in treating breathing disorders related to sleep.
Diagnosis
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the diagnosis includes a sleep study that allows doctors to monitor what happens in your brain and body while you sleep. However, special equipment can be used to conduct a sleep study at home. The gold standard for the test is polysomnography. This test method includes several recordings of sleep activity taken during the sleep study. Certain tests conducted include an electroencephalogram (EEG), an electrooculogram (EOG), and an electrocardiogram (EKG).
Treatment Options
-Positional therapy: avoid lying on your back while sleeping. Lying on your side helps reduce or eliminate airway blockage.
-Weight loss: losing weight can lead to less or milder snoring.
-Nasal decongestant: more effective in mild sleep apnea or snoring. In some cases, however, improving airflow is more effectively achieved through surgery.
-Surgery (children): surgical removal of throat tissues such as enlarged adenoids, tonsils, or both.
-Surgery (adults): surgery is less effective in treating OSA but effective in treating snoring. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, or UPPP, is the most common type of surgery for snoring.
-Oral devices: some oral devices resemble mouthguards used by football players. These devices are worn during sleep. The lower jaw is slightly positioned forward in its usual resting position, allowing the airway to remain open.
-Positive airway pressure devices: these devices use a variety of masks for breathing. Breathing masks are safely worn over the nose of the sleeper, or both the nose and mouth. Pressurized air continuously flows into the sleeper’s throat, preventing the airways from collapsing. A flexible tube allows the pressurized air to flow from one of several types of devices, including: CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure), and VPAP (Variable Positive Airway Pressure).
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