Is Sleep Apnea Silently Stealing Your Rest?
Imagine waking up one night and finding that you are not breathing. Sounds frightening, right? This is a condition called sleep apnea.
However, what's particularly unsettling about this condition is that many people who suffer from it aren't even aware of the problem. They may believe they are getting a good night's sleep, only to struggle with excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue despite seemingly adequate rest.
We live in a fast-paced, competitive world where our only focus is on success and productivity. As we run behind these mirages, we often sacrifice the vital phenomenon required for our body to function properly—sleep. This can cause various sleep disorders, including sleep apnea. World Sleep Day is also celebrated each year to celebrate the importance of sleep and advocate for better sleep health.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA):
It is the most widespread type of sleep apnea. It can occur when your neck muscles relax too much during sleep, causing the airway to become closed or restricted. This obstruction causes a pause in breath, which is often accompanied by loud snoring or gasping for air.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA):
As the name suggests CSA is a condition that involves the central nervous system where the brain fails to provide correct signals to the muscles that control breathing. As a result you can suffer breathing pauses in the absence of an airway obstruction.
Complicated Sleep Apnea Syndrome (CompSA):
It is complicated because it is a mix of symptoms found in both obstructive and central sleep apnea.
Know the numbers
It is estimated that around 936 million people around the world are suffering from sleep apnea. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) calculates that as many as 80% of people with OSA are undiagnosed. Considering the Indian population, it is estimated that 11% are suffering from sleep apnea, includes 14% of males and 6% of females.
Causes of sleep apnea
- Obesity: The excess weight around the neck will narrow the airway around the neck, increasing the risk of developing sleep apnea.
- Anatomical Factors: Some people are born with enlarged tonsils, a narrow airway, or other structural abnormalities in the upper airway that can be a causative factor for sleep apnea.
- Age: Older people experience this condition more frequently than younger people due to the age-related changes they undergo in muscle and body composition.
- Family History: If you have a known family history of sleep apnea or other sleep-related disorders, consider yourself in a risk zone.
- Smoking and Alcohol: Consuming alcohol and smoking can lower the stress of muscles in the throat, making airway obstruction more likely.
- Medical Conditions: If you are an individual with certain medical conditions, such as nasal congestion, allergies, hypothyroidism, and heart failure, then you may be at increased risk of developing sleep apnea.
Symptoms you may encounter
- Loud snoring: You may snore loudly, which disturbs the sleep of others.
- Pauses in breathing: You can experience a pause or cease breathing during your sleep. This is often followed by gasping or choking.
- Excess daytime sleepiness: You will feel more drowsy and sleep throughout the day even after getting a full night's sleep.
- Morning Headaches: You may wake up getting headaches, which is due to the oxygen deprivation that you experienced during the sleep.
- Concentration difficulties: You will find difficulties in concentrating or focusing on work, and memory problems. Your cognitive functioning may be disturbed as a result of a disturbed sleep pattern.
- Mood changes: Due to the lack of proper sleep quality and increased daytime sleeplessness, you can experience mood swings, irritation, and reduced interest in sexual activities.
What can you do to treat sleep apnea?
- Continuous positive airway pressure: This is the most frequent and dependable approach of treating sleep apnea. This therapy is simple because it employs the use of a machine that delivers air pressure through a mask that is placed over your nose that can deliver continuous air flow to keep your airway open. The air pressure you receive may be greater than the surrounding air so as to keep the upper airway tract open and prevent apnea.
- Bi level airway therapy: This therapy provides an added advantage that it can deliver two levels of pressure like higher pressure during inhalation and lower pressure at exhalation. This method is more comfortable than the CPAP.
- Oral appliances: In case you find these options are not suitable, you can opt for a dental or oral appliance that can help to reposition your jaw and tongue that helps to keep your airway open during your sleep.
- Surgery: Individuals with severe OSA who have not responded to other therapies may explore surgical options such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), tonsillectomy, or maxillomandibular advancement.
- Medication management: Your doctor will generally not recommend any medications for the primary management of sleep apnea. However some medications may help to cope with the symptoms you experience. Some benzodiazepines and over the counter sleep pills are effective only under the guidance of a registered medical practitioner.
Tips for Coping with Sleep Apnea
Do you have the habit of scrolling your phone throughout the night? It is more common in this generation, but they do not understand the consequences they will face. Follow some other tips for better sleep even during winter times.
- Always have a habit of going to bed early and try to wake up early. You can try practicing a schedule and sticking to it. This may help your body understand your sleep cycle and improve the quality of sleep.
- Wind Down your devices and practice the habit of engaging in calm activities before sleeping. Meditation, listening to soothing music, or even reading a book may give you fulfillment and induce better sleep.
- Keep your bedroom cold, dark, and quiet to promote good sleep. Use earplugs, white noise machines, or blackout curtains if necessary.
- Have a better sleeping position and rely on it. It can be good to sleep on the sides rather than the back, which helps relax throat muscles and prevent airway obstruction. Elevating your head with an edge pillow may also help.
- You are what you feed into yourself. Following a healthy diet and losing excess weight can help manage sleep apnea symptoms. You should control yourself and limit the intake of alcohol and foods that cause digestive disturbances, as these can ruin your sleep.
- You can also follow some natural remedies to cope with your sleepless nights.
To sum up:
Sleep apnea is a silent killer that is least known. Many people who suffer from this disease don't even know that they have it.
Get diagnosed! Sleep better!
Do not fear. Sleep apnea can be treated easily and is often manageable. Get consulted as early as you experience symptoms and follow therapies and lifestyle modifications to treat sleep apnea.
Breathe Easy, Sleep Easy: Say Goodbye to Sleep Apnea!
