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About 40 million people between the ages of 30 and 70 years have sleep apnea, including undiagnosed. Statistics indicate approximately 1 in every 15 Americans. Although more prevalent in the older adult, the number is increasing in young adults, which also coincides with the increased numbers in obesity. Sleep apnea occurs in about 3% of normal weight people but affects over 20% of people with obesity. Those who have increased fat in the neck, tongue, and upper abdomen are more susceptible to having sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition due to repeated upper airway obstruction during sleep. When breathing stops or the airway partially collapses, it can result in low levels of oxygen for your body.
Common symptoms include restless sleep, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, difficulty focusing, mood changes, nocturia, and loud snoring. Other changes include fluctuations in blood pressure and increased sympathetic nervous system activity.
If left untreated, OSA can lead to health problems, such as, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Obstructive sleep apnea can range from mild to severe. A measurement system called the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) measures the number of times you pause in breathing per hour while you sleep.
Sleep apnea is underdiagnosed because typically there are no evident symptoms, and it develops over time.
Common causes that can contribute to OSA include:
• nasal congestion
• relaxed muscles and other tissues in the mouth and throat
• thickened tissues and additional fat stores around the airway
• swollen tonsils
The primary treatment for OSA is positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. This device keeps the airway open by gently providing a constant stream of positive pressure air through a mask. You can set pressure continuously, and this is called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP). It takes an adjustment period for a person to adapt to the CPAP or BPAP. There are many ways to help make the device more comfortable and a smooth transition.
Other treatments can be using an oral appliance, called a mandibular advancement device which is created by a dental specialist. The mouthpiece holds the jaw in a forward position during sleep to expand the space behind the tongue. It helps stiffen the muscles in the back of the throat, therefore decreasing the airways collapse.
There are various surgical procedures that can widen the airway. There are surgeries that can stiffen, shrink, or remove extra tissue, especially the tonsils.
Other modifications include:
• managing weight
• sleeping on the side
• eating healthy foods
• getting physical exercise
• establishing good sleep habits
• limiting some sleep medications
• limiting caffeine consumption
• limiting alcohol consumption
• quitting smoking
Next steps if you have concerns that you may have sleep apnea:
Talk to your healthcare provider
Get a sleep study done
Make lifestyle changes
Review treatment options
It is unbelievable to think that something as simple as and open airway to let oxygen in and let carbon dioxide out can wreak havoc on our health over time. Good thing that sleep apnea is a treatable condition. For those that find all the current treatment options unbearable in some way, try to adjust and know that more treatments are being discovered. As the prevalence of sleep apnea rises, there is more research going into other alternative treatment options.
Be Wise, be Safe, and be Healthy,
Belinda
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