Health & Wellness Sleep apnea affects millions of Americans
Published 2:07 am, Saturday, November 21, 2015
Sleep apnea is a common breathing disorder that affects millions of Americans. It is characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow ineffective breaths. Pauses can last from a few seconds to a minute or more. This can occur 30 times or more per hour, causing a disruption to sleep. As a result, the quality of your sleep is poor leading to day time sleepiness and feeling tired.
Anyone can be affected by sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is almost twice as common in men as it is in women. Children also get sleep apnea, most commonly between ages 3 and 6, and most commonly due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids in the upper airway. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep apnea. This occurs when the airway collapses or becomes obstructed during sleep. Typically normal breathing starts again after several seconds, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. Central sleep apnea is less common and occurs when the area of your brain that controls breathing doesn’t send the correct signal to your breathing muscles and you make no effort to breath for brief periods.
Left untreated sleep apnea can lead to:
•Congestive heart failure or worsening of already existing congestive heart failure.
•Heart attack and sudden death
•High blood pressure
Sleep apnea has been linked to decreased productivity in the work place and to traffic accidents involving long distance trucking.
Most people who have sleep apnea don’t know it because it only occurs during sleep. A family member or bed partner is usually the first to notice signs of sleep apnea.
Ask yourself the following questions:
•Do you snore loudly?
•Do you often feel tired or sleepy during the day?
•Has anyone observed you stop breathing during sleep?
•Are you being treated for or have high blood pressure?
•Body mass index (BMI) greater than 35?
•Age over 50 years old:
•Neck circumference greater than 40 cm?
If you answered yes to three or more items, this could indicate a High Risk for obstructive sleep apnea.
If you answered yes to less than three items, your risk for sleep apnea is probably very low.
If you scored in the High Risk category, a sleep study may be warranted. Speak with your physician regarding your symptoms. Your physician may order a Polysomnogram (PSG). This is the most common test for sleep apnea and often takes place in a sleep center or lab. While you sleep with a sensors placed on your scalp, face, chest, limbs and fingers, a PSG tech records brain activity, eye movement, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate. This determines the severity of your OSA and provides the information needed for your physician to prescribe treatment.
There are no drugs that are approved by the FDA to treat sleep apnea.
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is the most common treatment. This uses mild air pressure to keep your airway open. They have three main parts:
--A mask that fits over your nose or nose and mouth, with straps to hold it in place.
--A tube that connects the mask to the machine’s motor.
--A motor that blows air into the tube.
There are other important changes that you can make to help you with sleep apnea.
•If obese weight loss
•Stop using alcohol or medications that make you sleepy.
•Sleep on your side instead of your backs.
The bottom line is if you have any symptoms it’s important to talk with your physician and discuss the options for a sleep study if indicated.
Sleep apnea is a very real health risk, but it is treatable
Sources: www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates; Ronald Farkes, MD., PH.D. FDA’S Center of Drug Evaluations; Mary Weick-Brady, M.S., R.N., senior policy analyst at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
(Gracie Favela CRT, RCP, is staff therapist-Cardiopulmonary Services, at Covenant Health Plainview.)