Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea occurs when breathing stops during sleep. Those with untreated sleep apnea frequently stop breathing during the night, which can happen hundreds of times. If untreated, sleep apnea can cause hypertension, stroke, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and diabetes. It can cause work impairment, work-related accidents, car collisions, and educational underachievement in children and teens.

Types

1. Obstructive sleep apnea:

Obstructive sleep apnea causes repeated upper airway blockages during sleep due to the relaxation of the muscles in the back of the throat. Respiratory distress causes the diaphragm and chest muscles to work harder to open the airway. Relaxed muscles constrict your airway when you breathe in. Insufficient air lowers blood oxygen levels. Your brain wakes you up when you can't breathe so that you can reopen your airway. This short waking is often forgotten but is in the form of a snort, choke, or gulp. This cycle can recur five to 30 times each hour during the night, preventing you from slumbering in the deepest, most restorative slumber.

Risks:

Sleep apnea may impact people of any age, including children. However, several variables raise your risk of getting Obstructive Sleep Apnea:

• Obesity: Your upper airway might get obstructed if you have a lot of fat around it.
• People with thicker necks. 
• A narrow throat, growth in children's tonsils, and adenoids.
• Men get sleep apnea twice as often as women. Women's risk increases with obesity and menopause.
• Old age.
• Alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers.
• Smokers are at risk three times more.
• If you have trouble breathing through your nose.
• Congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome, hormonal abnormalities, a past stroke, and asthma.

2. Central sleep apnea:

This uncommon sleep apnea happens when the brain cannot send instructions to the breathing muscles. It means you stop breathing briefly. Shortness of breath may wake you up, and it troubles you in falling or staying asleep. This type is directly connected to how your brain and the neurological system work. It is more common in persons with neuromuscular diseases like ALS, stroke, heart, kidney, or lung problems.

Risks:

• Middle-aged and older persons.
• Men are more likely to suffer from central sleep apnea than women.
• Congestive heart failure.
• Stroke.
• Long-acting narcotics like methadone.

3. Complex sleep apnea:

When you have obstructive and central sleep apnea, clinicians call it Complex sleep apnea. Your doctor may conduct an examination based on your signs and symptoms and a sleep history, which you may offer, with the assistance of someone who sleeps in your bed or your home, if you can provide such information.

Sleep Apnea Diagnosis:

Diagnosis for sleep apnea is concluded through various tests, which include:

• Nocturnal Polysomnography: You'll likely be directed to a sleep facility where a sleep specialist can evaluate your nightly breathing and bodily function. During this test, machines monitor your heart, lungs, brain, respiration, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.
• Self-sleep testing: Your doctor might provide you with simplified tests to be used at home to diagnose sleep apnea. These tests evaluate heart rate, blood oxygen, airflow, and breathing.

If you have OSA, your doctor may recommend you to an ENT specialist to rule out a blockage or nasal congestion. Central sleep apnea may require a cardiologist or neurologist assessment to verify the underlying cause.

Mechanical Treatment:

Your doctor may prescribe weight loss, stopping smoking, or treating nasal allergies for mild sleep apnea. Other therapies are available if they don't alleviate your symptoms, which means your apnea is mild to severe. Some gadgets can unblock an airway, and sometimes surgery may be required.

• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP): This equipment provides air pressure through a mask during sleep. Snoring and breathing problems can be eased by breathing air that is at a pressure higher than the ambient air pressure. Some people find CPAP difficult or uncomfortable, despite being the most popular and effective treatment for sleep apnea. You may need to try many masks before finding one you like. If you have issues, keep using CPAP and consult your doctor about comfort adjustments.

See a doctor if you're still snoring or weight changes after treatment. CPAP settings may need to be modified for accurate results.

• Oral appliances can keep your throat open. They are easier to use than CPAP. Your dentist can recommend one.
• Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) "learns" your breath rhythm. This airflow gadget utilizes pressure to regulate your breathing as you sleep and eliminate any pauses. ASV is more successful than conventional PAP treatments for complex sleep apnea. However, people who suffer from central sleep apnea or severe heart failure may not be appropriate candidates for this device.

Surgical Treatments:

OSA patients and those who snore may benefit from surgical procedures. People with excessive or deformed tissue blocking their airways get the suggestion for surgery. Deviated nasal septums, enlarged tonsils, and a small lower jaw with an overbite contribute to narrowing the throat. Doctors perform these operations only after conservative treatments and CPAP have failed.

• Somnoplasty reduces upper airway soft tissue using radiofrequency radiation.
• Tonsillectomy removes tonsillar tissue, a significant source of blockage in children with sleep apnea.
• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) removes soft tissue from the back of the neck and palate to widen the throat opening.
• Mandibular/maxillary advancement surgery corrects face or throat defects that cause OSA. This invasive surgery is for individuals with severe OSA and head-face deformities.
• Nasal surgery involves deviated septum repair.

Such a sleeping disorder condition in which a person faces difficulty in breathing during sleep is called sleep apnea. Such a sleeping disorder in which a person becomes unable to breathe oftentimes. This makes it complicated for the body to get adequate oxygen. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most widely known form of this sleeping disorder. It happens when the upper respiratory tract gets clogged frequently during sleep, causing airflow to be decreased or completely stopped. Adiposity, huge tonsils, or changes in hormone levels can all constrict the airway and raise the risk of obstructive sleeping disorder. Central sleep apnea is another type that appears when the brain ceases to function in the transmission of the necessary signals to enable the brain to breathe. Central sleep apnea occurs due to health issues that fluctuate how the brain operates the airway and chest muscles. Symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Sleep disruption
• Loud snoring
• Mild to severe difficulty in breathing while sleeping
• Dry mouth
• Headaches
• Gasping for air while sleeping
• Asthma

Some factors that cause sleep apnea are:

• Age: The risk of sleep apnea increases as you get older. With the increasing age, fatty tissues build up in the neck and increase the risk of sleep apnea.
• Changes in hormones: people who have low levels of thyroid hormones are at high risk of getting sleep apnea
• Heart and kidney problems: issues related to the heart and kidney cause fluids to build up in the neck, which blocks the upper airway and causes sleep apnea.
• Large tonsils and a thick neck are also the factors that cause sleep apnea.
• Other health problems like cleft lip, cleft palate, and down syndrome raise the risk of sleep apnea.

Some sleep apnea appliances are available that are the solution to sleep apnea and help improve sleep quality. CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) and dental appliances are two of the most effective treatments that can help treat sleep apnea. CPAP is a treatment that is conducted through a CPAP machine. These machines consist of a surgical mask. A motor that blows air down the throat with continuous pressure. A tube that connects the mask and motor. It is one of the most effective procedures to treat sleep apnea; it improves sleep quality by keeping the airways open and eases snoring. These machines provide immediate relief from this sleeping disorder. Mandibular advancement and tongue-retaining gadgets are custom-made oral devices that also help to treat sleep apnea. Mandibular advancement gadgets look very similar to mouthguards that are used by athletes in sports. These devices push the tongue and jaw forward, which increases the airway space, prevents snoring, and reduces sleep apnea. Tongue-retaining devices are less commonly used. This device holds the tongue in place, keeps the airway open, and helps with mild sleep apnea symptoms. It also reduces the snoring and loudness of snoring.