Sleep apnea is an unpleasant term to describe an unpleasant condition. People with sleep apnea stop breathing during their sleep. This results in sudden, frequent awakenings during the night - often so brief, the person doesn't even know they woke up. These cause exhaustion and other health troubles. Snoring is the most common sign that a person may be suffering from sleep apnea. People who live with a partner often get tipped off to their sleep apnea when their partner complains about snoring. For those who live alone, however, knowing other signs to look for can be crucial to a diagnosis. A person living alone may never realize they snore. Understanding the causes of sleep apnea, the potential treatment options, and the complications it can cause can make it much easier to deal with.
Causes of Sleep Apnea
The cause of sleep apnea depends on the type the person has. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the muscles in the throat collapsing. When those muscles relax, the person can't get enough air and this lowers the level of oxygen in their blood. When the brain senses this lack of oxygen, it wakes the person so they can breathe again. This type of sleep apnea may also result in the person snorting, gasping, or choking.
Central sleep apnea is caused by the brain's failure to transmit the necessary signals to make you breathe. This leads to the person making no effort to breathe for short periods. This type of sleep apnea is much less common than obstructive sleep apnea.
A third type of sleep apnea is a combination of the two previous types and is caused by a combination of the throat muscles collapsing and the brain not transmitting the necessary signals.
Treating Sleep Apnea
For milder cases of sleep apnea, some lifestyle changes can be enough to resolve the problem. The person might try:
- Losing weight
- Exercising regularly
- Not drinking alcohol before bed
- Not smoking
- Sleeping on their side or stomach instead of their back
- Avoiding sedative medications
For more severe cases, treatment options may include:
- Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP machine)
- Oral device (to thrust the lower jaw forward or move the tongue to a different position
- Surgical removal of tissue
- Jaw surgery
- Implants
Potential Complications
Sleep apnea can create some severe complications. They can include:
- Daytime fatigue - Because the person isn't getting the restorative sleep they need at night, they're exhausted during the day. They may struggle to concentrate and may fall asleep while working, watching TV, or even driving. They can also be more irritable.
- Heart problems and high blood pressure - When the person stops breathing, their blood oxygen level suddenly drops. These sudden drops increase their blood pressure and put a strain on the cardiovascular system. Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure. It may also raise the risk of recurrent heart attack, abnormal heartbeats, and stroke. For a person with heart disease, this can also lead to sudden death from an irregular heartbeat.
- Type 2 diabetes - Your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is higher if you have sleep apnea.
- Liver troubles - Liver function tests may show abnormal results and the liver itself may have more signs of scarring (also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) in a person with sleep apnea.
- Metabolic syndrome - Metabolic syndrome is a disorder characterized by the combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, an increased waist circumference, and abnormal cholesterol levels. Having sleep apnea increases the chances of developing metabolic syndrome.
- Medication and surgical complications - Certain medications and surgical procedures can both present significant problems for someone with sleep apnea. Being sedated and lying on their backs for surgery can cause someone with sleep apnea to be more likely to have complications.
Sleep apnea doesn't just impact a person's sleep. It impacts their entire life. Understanding their sleep apnea and coming up with a treatment plan is imperative to not only improving the quality of their life, but saving it.