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- Approximately 30 million Americans are victims of a sleep disorder called sleep apnea.
- Many millions more are pre-disposed and have a high risk of developing the illness.
- "Apnea" is a Greek word meaning "without breath".
- Those with apnea literally stop breathing in their sleep often hundreds of times during the night.
How does it occur?
- During normal sleep, throat muscles relax.
- If the throat is crowded due to obesity, the airway collapses during sleep.
Airflow stops and the blood oxygen level drops, which causes the brain to wake up.
- If you have sleep apnea, this cycle may repeat hundreds of times during the night
while you have no idea it is happening.
What are the Common Symptoms?
- Fatigue and tiredness during the day.
- Loud snoring.
- Waking up with choking or gasping.
- Not feeling rested in the morning or satisfied with a night's sleep.
- A strong desire to take a daily afternoon nap.
- Unexplained accidents or errors.
- Morning headaches.
Other Common Features are:
- Obesity
- Small jaw, thick neck
- High blood pressure
- Restless sleep; the repeated struggle to breathe can be associated with a
great deal of movement.
- Depressed mood and/or irritability
- Reduced sex drive and impotence
- Snorting, gasping, choking during sleep
How Serious is it?
- Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening condition.
- Undiagnosed severe sleep apnea can cause irregular heartbeats,
unstable high blood pressure, leg swelling, heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest during sleep, or a harmful accident.
- Increased daytime sleepiness poses a serious risk of
automobile accidents, impaired functioning in the workplace and in personal relationships.
- Untreated sleep apnea tends to progressively worsen and can cause partial or complete disability and death.
How is it Diagnosed?
- An overnight sleep study, called polysomnography, is usually done to diagnose sleep apnea.
- The sleep study measures your heart rate, brain waves, chest movement, air flow and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.
- Other sleep disorders that cause unrestful sleep may be detected with a sleep study as well.
- The test involves no pain and is covered by insurance.
How is Sleep Apnea Treated?
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The most commonly prescribed treatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
- The CPAP machine delivers air pressure through a small nasal mask that the patient wears while sleeping.
- The pressure acts as an "air splint" which keeps the throat open eliminating obstructive apneas.
- Sleep becomes uninterrupted and restorative, and dramatically improves daytime functioning as well as general health.
- Sleep apnea can also be treated surgically; however, the success rates may vary greatly
depending on which procedure is chosen and the experience and skills of the surgeons.
- Some patients try dental appliances that work by bringing the lower jaw forward to increase the size of the airway.
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