Sleep Apnea

Brief pauses of breathing during sleep. Often associated with loud snoring, snorting and gasping for breath. Sleep apnea can result in daytime sleepiness, depression, and cardiovascular problems.

Sleep apnea is believed to affect at least 1out of every 200 Americans, 70 to 90 percent of them men, mostly middle-aged, and usually overweight. But the condition can afflict both men or women at any age.

People with this disorder actually may stop breathing while asleep-even hundreds of times--without being aware of the problem. During an apnea attack, the snorer may seem to gasp for breath, and the oxygen level in the blood may become abnormally low. In severe cases, a sleep apnea victim may actually spend more time not breathing than breathing and may be at risk for death.

In the most common form of the condition, obstructive apnea (also called upper airway apnea), air stops flowing through the nose and mouth, but throat and abdominal breathing efforts are uninterrupted. The snoring that results is produced when the upper rear of the mouth (the soft palate and the cone-shaped tissue--the uvula--that descends from it) relaxes and vibrates as air passes in and out. This sets up an air current between the palate and the base of the tongue, resulting in snoring. Typically, the individual will wake up, emit a vigorous snort or grunt while gasping for air, then immediately fall back to sleep, only to repeat the cycle.

In another form of the disorder, central apnea, both oral breathing and throat and abdominal breathing efforts are simultaneously interrupted. In a third type of apnea, mixed apnea, a brief period of central apnea is followed by a longer period of obstructive apnea.

Sleep apnea can be recognized by a number of symptoms. As mentioned, loud and intermittent snoring is one warning signal. The person who has sleep apnea may experience a choking sensation, early-morning headaches, or extreme daytime sleepiness, as well. Excessive body movements, snorting or gasping for breath during sleep. Since sleeping pills may be harmful for people with sleep apnea, they should not be taken if the condition is suspected.

Many people with such conditions as obesity, deviated nasal septum, polyps, enlarged tonsils, large adenoids, or a host of other problems may be particularly likely to develop sleep apnea. Doctors can reliably diagnose the disorder only by monitoring oxygen intake, breathing, and other physical functions while the patient is sleeping.

In mild cases, sleep apnea often responds to medication. Or, in the case of overweight middle-aged males, losing weight may lessen the problem. Another procedure, known as continuous positive air pressure, involves the use of a machine that blows air into the hose during the night, opening the air passages in the throat. Patients will severe sleep apnea may require surgery. One procedure widens the throat. In another, a tracheostomy, which is used in very severe cases, a small hole is made at the base of the neck, below and in front of the Adam's apple. At night, a valve on a hollow tube in the hole is opened so that air can flow directly to the lungs, bypassing the sleep induced upper airway blockage. During the day, the valve is closed, allowing the patient to breathe and speak normally.

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Friday, July 24, 2009

Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea

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