If you wake up as tired as when you went to bed, you may suffer from sleep apnea. Characterized by short lapses in breathing, sleep apnea affects an estimated 12 million Americans. Although sleep apnea can seem like just a mild annoyance, this condition has been linked with other health concerns high blood pressure, heart disease, memory problems, and daytime drowsiness.

Defining Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which the patient experiences shallow breathing or pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses can occur several times during sleep, leading to health complications and lifestyle hindrances.

Because sleep apnea can impact other areas of your life, it’s important to take any symptoms seriously. If you suspect sleep apnea, talk to your dentist or physician about having a complete exam. Often, your doctor will recommend a sleep study to help confirm sleep apnea. Common symptoms of sleep apnea can include:

Abnormal sleep patterns
Choking during sleep
Daytime sleepiness
Difficulty with concentration
Dry mouth or sore throat in the morning
Erectile dysfunction
Falling asleep at inappropriate times
Frequent pauses during sleep due to breaks in breathing
High blood pressure
Irritability
Loud snoring
Sudden awakenings to restart breathing
Waking up in a sweat

Transcript

[Music] I snore yeah see I don't know if I snore cuz I don't hear myself so oh he hears himself cuz sometimes it wakes him up and he's like baby was I snoring yeah you were snoring it usually happens when he's on his back and then he will just he gets into that deep snore like the I mean it's deep then he stops his chest was sto moving and everything like he just like he was not breathing so I nudged him like babe wake up and then he'd catch his breath I'm like dude you just stopped breathing in your sleep and I saved [Music] him Pam's a registered polysomnographic technician a poly what polysomnographic means sleep steady she'll be the one putting the electrodes in sleep apnea actually is a pretty common condition in which is most likely under diagnosed and underevaluated because many people don't realize that they have it well every time I st breathing she you know the next morning yeah sleep apnea yeah sleep apnea I'm like what is sleep apnea well sleep apne is a condition where a person is unable to get air into their lungs when they fall asleep every time the person stops breathing they wake up they stop breathing they wake up and that exposes the body to a myriad of really adverse stresses and that does have consequences irritability can't focus and maintain attention they're unable to sleep in the same bedroom with their bed partner or spouse about a Sevenfold increased risk of motor vehicle accidents it's linked with the Obesity epidemic to being linked with cardiovascular or heart disease High rates of stroke diabetes and even mortality and so now so now we got to fix it don't want to go out like that let you so Shaq one of the things that uh we meeting with the sleep doctor my main man Dr C you know he said he wanted me to be part of his sleep study we arranged for an overnight recording in which we could actually find out whether Mr O'Neal has sleep up now so tonight electrodes on the head and you know they're going to study the brain waves hopefully my my RMS and my nonm see I read that my rapid eye movements oh and the end is the what n rapid eye movement so you know hopefully uh I don't have it but if I do have it you know I know I'm working with the best people to you know get it cured you all ready to go to sleep yes sir okay good luck with everything we'll be here monitoring so the evaluation of sleep apnea is test while they're asleep then every second of the study will be looked at then the physician will interpret and make a conclusion to cut to the chase you have moderate sleep apnea here obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic condition which is imminently treatable right so you said there's the mask the mouthpiece and surgery correct the treatment of choice as of today for sleep apy is to go ahead with with nasal sleep app the mask and is this forever treatment or just a six we thing we we generally regard this as lifelong treatment getting a mask to fit effectively is often a cardinal part of effective treatment you have a mask here that I can look at if a person's able to use the CPAP device it works almost 100% of the time no yeah this is yeah this is pretty good this is nice I like it can I wear it to the club yeah absolutely oh this is nice okay I like it I'll do it since I've met with Dr C and you know I've been getting at least 7even 8 n hours of sleep a day feel good the weight is good got a lot of energy the relationship is good I house everything is working

The four types of sleep apnea are:

Obstructive sleep apnea – The most common form of this disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when a patient’s throat closes as the individual inhales during sleep and the patient can not suck air into their lungs. Since muscles relax during sleep, the soft tissue of the pharynx relaxes and expands, obstructing air flow in the upper respiratory tract. This obstruction reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood and forces the patient to wake up and take a deep breath. Men from age 30 to 50 are the main group affected by OSA. Often, people will experience mild OSA at some point in time in their lives; however, chronic or severe OSA requires medical attention.

Central sleep apnea – Central sleep apnea, or Cheyne-Stokes respiration, is a relatively rare form of sleep apnea that occurs when the region of the brain responsible for controlling the breathing muscles temporarily fails. Central sleep apnea differs from OSA in that the patient’s pauses in breathing are due to a lack of effort to breathe.

Mixed apnea – Mixed apnea is a combination of OSA and central sleep apnea. Chronic OSA can sometimes cause central sleep apnea. Although the exact cause is still unknown, weight-related, cardiovascular, and respiratory conditions can contribute to mixed sleep apnea.

Complex sleep apnea – Complex sleep apnea is a form of mixed sleep apnea. With this unusual condition, a patient still experiences sleep apnea even when the physical obstruction to breathing is removed.

Factors that Influence Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused when soft tissue in the airway relaxes. Usually, OSA occurs because of changes in muscle tone, increase in the soft tissue due to obesity, and structure issues with the skull and face. Obese people are at a great risk for OSA because they carry more muscle and tissue mass. Over 50 percent of those who have Down’s syndrome suffer from OSA, brought on by poor muscle tone, narrow nasopharynx, and a large tongue. Nasal congestion and alcohol consumption can also contribute to OSA. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids are the most common causes of obstructive sleep apnea in children. Obstructive sleep apnea can also occur as a part of the natural ageing process when the brain’s capacity to transmit instructions telling the throat muscles to maintain rigidity decreases.

Central sleep apnea often accompanies a medical condition and is rarely found in healthy individuals. Since the brainstem controls breathing, any medical condition involving that part of the brain can cause central sleep apnea. Cardiovascular conditions, neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, advanced arthritis, and encephalitis are some medical conditions that can trigger central sleep apnea.

The Importance of Treatment

Complications from sleep apnea can include inattentiveness at work, tiredness, risk of accidents, mood swings, high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. Sleep apnea can also increase the risk of congestive heart failure and stroke. It can lead to difficulty in the treatment processes for conditions such as arterial fibrillation. Children affected by sleep apnea can be hyperactive, high strung, aggressive, and prone to bed wetting. They may have also unusual sleeping positions. Overall, a person suffering from sleep apnea experiences deterioration in the quality of life.

Diagnosing Sleep Apnea

To look for sleep apnea, a dentist or physician can recommend diagnostic testing, particularly if the patient is suffering from conditions such as high blood pressure, heart failure, and epilepsy. Physical examination for adults includes measuring for a wide neck, looking for enlarged tonsils, and assessing upper body obesity. In evaluating children, doctors check for enlarged adenoids and determine if the child has attention deficit issues.

Doctors use the patient’s medical and sleep history in diagnosing sleep apnea. Symptoms such as drowsiness, headaches, heartburn, and patient medications can influence the diagnosis. A sleep study, where the patient is monitored in a sleep lab, can also help determine an individual has sleep apnea. When testing rules out sleep apnea, then the patient must be evaluated for other potential sleep disorders.

Treating Sleep Apnea

After a diagnosis of sleep apnea, your doctor will review treatment surgical and non-surgical options. Non-surgical treatments include medications, behavioral changes, dental appliances, and use of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).

Medication – Nasal steroid sprays may effectively control sleep apnea caused by nasal airway obstruction. Hypothyroidism treatment helps manage sleep apnea caused by the thyroid condition.
Behavioral changes – In many cases, lifestyle and behavior changes are often the only treatment required to treat sleep apnea, particularly the milder cases. Exercising to reduce weight and avoiding sleep positions that lead to increased snoring have been shown as effective treatments.
Dental appliances – Mild to moderate sleep apnea can be controlled by using dental appliances that hold the palate up and keep the airway free. Any dental appliance should be custom fit by a dentist so that it works properly. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines use air pressure to ensure that the soft palate does not sag during sleep. The pressurized air is delivered to the patient through a face mask. As the person breathes, gentle air pressure keeps the air passage open and prevents sleep apnea.