Sleep Apnea – Everything That You Need to Know

Sleep apnea is a severe medical condition in which you experience frequent loss of breath while sleeping. In this condition, the brain does not get a sufficient amount of oxygen to function. An ambulatory sleep study is an integral part of treating sleep apnea. This study enables the medical experts to determine the degree of sleep apnea, thereby helping in building a personalized sleep apnea management program. In this article, we are sharing everything you need to know about sleep apnea and its treatment.

Types of Sleep Apnea

An ambulatory sleep study helps in determining the kind of sleep apnea you are suffering from. Following are the three types of sleep apnea –

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This is the most common type of sleep apnea, and it impacts men more than women. Moreover, merely around 10% of people with this condition seek medical treatment.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your airways partially or entirely get blocked while sleeping. In this case, the back muscles of the throat get to relax. This allows the fatty tissue and tongue to fall back and block the airflow. In this, the air is restricted, thereby reducing the flow of blood to the brain. Subsequently, this triggers the brain to get partially awakened to signal that the body is not getting enough oxygen.

Symptoms Related Sleep Apnea

Following are the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea –

● Snoring
● Excessive sleepiness during the day
● Breathlessness
● Headache in the morning
● Restless sleep
● Irritability
● Depression

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

Below reasons can trigger obstructive sleep apnea –

● Age
● Weight
● Enlarged adenoid or tonsils
● Frequent alcohol consumption
● Smoking
● Natural causes

Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea can be treated in the following ways –

Oral applications
● Tongue retaining mouthpieces
● Mandibular advancement devices

Therapy
● Bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP)
● Automatic positive airway pressure (APAP)
● Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

Surgery
● Maxillomandibular Advancement (MMA)
● Nasal Surgery
● Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)
● Adenotonsillectomy

Central Sleep Apnea

In central sleep apnea, the brain fails to signal the muscles that control breathing. Contrary to obstructive sleep apnea, this form of apnea centers more on communication issues. It is less common than obstructive sleep apnea. In fact, only around 20% of sleep apnea cases are central sleep apnea.

It often results in medical issues and conditions that influence the brainstem.

Symptoms Associated with Central Sleep Apnea

Following are the symptoms linked to central sleep apnea
● Irregular breathing while asleep
● Excessive drowsiness during the day
● shortness of breath
● Chronic fatigue
● Restless sleep
● Morning headaches
● Lack of focus
● Mood swings
● Snoring

What are the Main Causes of Central Sleep Apnea?

Central sleep apnea can be triggered by –

● Brain infection, stroker, or any other medical condition that impacts the brain
● Some medications
● Obesity
● Parkinson’s disease
● Heart failure

Treatment of Central Sleep Apnea

Following are some of the ways central sleep apnea is treated –

● Addressing the current health conditions that cause CSA.
● Continuous positive airway pressure
● Bilevel positive airway pressure
● Adaptive-servo ventilation
● Medications
● Phrenic nerve stimulation

Mixed Sleep Apnea

As the name suggests, this is an amalgamation of both central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea. Some patients who are being treated for OSA through CPAP machines tend to develop symptoms of CSA during the PAP therapy.

A study revealed that in a CPAP treatment, the airways of the patients are opened to remove any obstruction; however, they continue to experience difficulty in breathing during sleep. Their OSA symptoms shifted to CSA during the therapy.

Treatment of Mixed Sleep Apnea

Doctors are yet to discover an ideal treatment for this time of sleep apnea. But presently, CPAP devices are considered to be the best treatment options. But they are set at a lower pressure setting to keep the airway from getting blocked while avoiding the development of CSA symptoms.

Final Thoughts

It is imperative to treat sleep apnea in a timely manner; otherwise, it can result in more health complications. When getting timely treatment, the doctor develops a comprehensive sleep apnea management program that ensures to give you relief. When the symptoms are managed in a timely manner, it helps in making the treatment process less complex. So if you experience any of the aforementioned symptoms, make sure you get immediate medical attention.