Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea or Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome, which is the official name for the most common form, causes disturbed sleep and results in excessive daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea is defined as "cessation of breath" and is caused by upper airway obstructions in the throat or nasal passages.

Often the person who has sleep apnea is unaware that he or she has many mini-episodes of stopped breathing at night, but often the mate is aware. Tongue, tonsils, uvula, nasal passages or the structure of throat, jaw and face can play an important role in sleep apnea.

At night, when a person is trying to sleep, their nasal and throat tissue may relax and block the airways. The body, sensing the lack of oxygen, will automatically gasp for breath and awaken the person, if only for a very short time.

A person with a mild case of sleep apnea may have 5 - 20 apneas per hour while the person with moderate sleep apnea may have 20 - 40 per hour. The person who has over 40 apneas is considered to have a severe case of sleep apnea.

Daytime sleepiness is not the only health issue surrounding sleep apnea. Sleep apnea reduces oxygen to the brain for 8 hours a day and may cause high blood pressure, weight gain, depression, impotence, heart attack, strokes, irregular heartbeat and heart disease. One doctor likened the health implications of having a moderate to severe case of sleep apnea to smoking 1 - 2 packs of cigarettes a day.

Sleep apnea can also lower work performance, interfere with interpersonal relationships and cause mishaps like falling asleep while driving. Some of the treatments for sleep apnea include using a CPAP machine, LAUP surgery, UUUP surgery, somnoplasty, mandibular dental devices and mandibular myotomy. All treatments have varying degrees of success rates and drawbacks that need to be assessed by each individual.

Before treatment is started, the doctor will usually recommend an overnight sleep study be performed. This sleep study can be used to confirm or rule out sleep apnea and assess whether or not another sleep disorder, such as restless legs syndrome is at play. The sleep study may be conducted in one's home or in a hospital or clinic setting.

The first thing to do if you suspect that you or a loved on has sleep apnea is to get diagnosed. Usually a general practitioner will refer you to an ENT (ear, nose & throat doctor) for evaluation.

Once the sleep study has been completed and the case of sleep apnea confirmed, it is time to go over treatment options with the doctor. On the other pages of this site you'll find additional valuable information about sleep apnea including when to use CPAP, when surgery may be necessary or using a dental device to help tackle sleeping issues. Take a look around, keep what works for you in your particular case and disregard the rest - and by all means, get some rest!