Obstructive Sleep Apnea Unveiled!

Many people have never heard of sleep disorders. It is estimated that over 20 million adults in the U.S. alone suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea and roughly 80% of those afflicted go untreated. The truth is that sleep disorders today are very common, can be serious, and 95% are underdiagnosed. Continuous research has shown that having less than 6 hours of sleep each night, irregular sleep schedules, or poor sleep is associated with many health risks.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep apnea. Apnea literally translates as "cessation of breathing" which means that during sleep your breathing stops periodically during the night for a few seconds. These lapses in breathing can occur for up to ten seconds or more and can happen up to hundreds of times a night in severe cases. When this happens, you may snore loudly or making choking noises as you try to breathe.  Your brain and body become oxygen deprived and you may wake up. When you wake up in the morning you feel tired or unrefreshed even though you just had a full night of sleep. During the day you can feel fatigued, have difficulty concentrating or may even fall asleep unintentionally. This is all because your body is waking up numerous times throughout the night even though you might not be conscious of each awakening.

Who is at risk? ANYONE can have sleep apnea regardless of gender, age or body type. Sleep apnea increases the risk of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, or even sudden death.

Here are some common symptoms to look for to know when should you contact a doctor or sleep special about obstructive sleep apnea?

• If your snoring is loud enough that it disturbs your where your bed partners sleep during the night.
• If you often wake from sleep because of shortness of breath or difficulty breathing comfortably.
• If you have regular intermittent pauses in your breathing during sleep.
• If you have chronic morning headaches.
• If you feel excessively sleeping during the day or often fall asleep at inappropriate times.

Be prepared for your OSA doctor’s appointment

1. Once you schedule an appointment with a sleep specialist, you should begin keeping a “ sleep journal” for about two weeks prior to your visit. In that journal, you should document your nightly sleeping habits and behaviors and write down things like: what time you went to bed, what time you woke up, how often you woke up in the middle of the night, how rested and alert you felt the following day or how sleepy you felt the next day.
2. You may want to ask your bed partner for input regarding your sleeping habits and they may have noticed some of the nocturnal activities that you may not have been aware of.
3. If you’re aware of any family history of OSA, make sure to mention it to your doctor, OSA can be hereditary.
4. Try to remember and figure out when your symptoms began. Did your symptoms increase or begin as he aged? Did your symptoms increase as you gain weight or stop exercising?

Three simple ways of diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

1. Physical examination: the doctor may administer a simple check of your mouth, throat, and neck to determine if you have OSA. The doctor is looking for abnormalities or excessive fatty tissue of the uvula, tongue, and large tonsils and adenoids especially in children’s.
2. Polysomnography (PSG). If your doctor believes you may have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, he will probably refer you to have a sleep study done. You will spend the night at a sleep clinic where you will be hooked up to a diagnostic machine that measures and records your heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, body positions and blood oxygen levels while you sleep. These tests are painless and noninvasive and generally take six hours to complete.
3. Home sleep apnea test (HSAT). This option is available for you to sleep in the comfort of your own bed while undergoing the evaluation. While not as in-depth of a study as a PSG, and HSAT monitors airflow, respiratory effort, breathing patterns, blood oxygen level, and even body movements.

Methods of treatment of obstructive sleep apnea

• Lifestyle modifications including diet and exercise, cutting back on alcohol, quit smoking, sleeping on your side.
• Common positive airway pressure (PAP).
• Oral appliances.
• Surgeries for obstructive sleep apnea.