Sleep Apnea What Is Sleep Apnea?

What Is Sleep Apnea:

what is sleep apnea

In the worst cases, this condition can make them so tired that they may fall asleep during the day, leading to accidents, problems with work, hobbies, social activities, etc. Most people with sleep apnea have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This happens when there is a physical blockage in the upper airway. Another type, central sleep apnea (CSA), is due to a signaling problem in the nervous system. Instead, your brain fails to tell your muscles to breathe because of issues in your respiratory control center.

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Doctors consider continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) the gold standard treatment for OSA, and it is usually the first treatment offered to people diagnosed with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea. Generally, a CPAP machine plugs into an outlet and sits next to a sleeper’s bed. A tube connects the machine to a mask that covers the sleeper’s mouth, nose, or both.

It is also common for people with CSA to feel overly sleepy during the day. Using and sticking with treatments ‘ especially ongoing ones like positive airway pressure devices ‘ can make a huge difference. Many people stick with treatments for a month or so but then stop using them. That can increase the risk of complications and a negative outcome, so it’s essential that you keep on using them as long as you have sleep apnea.

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Nasal EPAP therapy has generally been evaluated for use in people with OSA, not CSA. If you’re still not sure if you have sleep apnea, we encourage you to take click here for info our short quiz below to understand whether you may be affected. The ASAA estimates that between 1 and 4 percent of American children have sleep apnea.

With sleep apnea, the muscles in your upper airway relax while you’re sleeping. This causes your airways to become blocked off, keeping you from getting enough air. This may cause your breathing to pause for 10 seconds or longer until your reflexes initiate breathing to restart. Sleep apnea is not the only problem that can lead to difficulties breathing during sleep. There are a few other problems that do not cause a complete pause in the breathing but may still be problematic, such as snoring, Catathrenia (sleep groaning), or Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). It is also important to recognize that oxygen levels may drop during sleep if lung function is compromised due to pulmonary disease, and this would require distinct treatment.

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This can lead to trouble concentrating, making decisions, remembering things, or controlling your behavior. OSA is the most common type of sleep-related breathing disorder, which is a group of sleep disorders additional reading marked by abnormal breathing during sleep. There are three other types of sleep-related breathing disorders in addition to obstructive sleep apnea, which differ from OSA in their causes and features.

what is sleep apnea

Nasal congestion, commonly called a stuffy nose, from any cause has been found to make a person twice as likely to develop OSA compared to those without congestion. That said, treating nasal congestion does not always relieve the symptoms of OSA. As a result, transgender individuals who have super fast reply gender-affirming hormone therapy may have their OSA risk altered. Often a person does not know they have sleep apnea, but someone who lives with them will notice. In the United States, Black people, Hispanic people, and Native Americans are more likely to have sleep apnea than white people.

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Without sufficient oxygen, night after night, the risk of serious medical conditions greatly increases ‘ including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and early death. A common type of PAP therapy uses a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that sends a stream of air that is always set to the same pressure level. Other types of PAP devices, such as bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) and auto-titrating positive airway pressure (APAP), provide variability in the amount of air pressure. The goal of treatment for sleep apnea is to reduce breathing disruptions and improve sleep.

In older adults (age 65 and up), it’s much more common, climbing to 20% or more. However, it’s common for people not to realize that they have this condition, so experts aren’t certain about the true scope of this issue. While that reflex is key in keeping you breathing, it also disrupts your sleep. As more disruptions in your sleep happen, your sleep quality suffers. That can lead to a wide range of symptoms, many of which are disruptive or potentially dangerous. Doctors often recommend behavior changes, like losing weight, avoiding alcohol or sedative medications, and changing sleep positions along with medical treatment for sleep apnea.

These devices increase the air pressure inside of your airway and lungs when you inhale, keeping surrounding tissue from pressing your airway shut. Positive airway pressure is a method that uses a specialized device to increase the air pressure inside of your airway while you inhale. This method can treat obstructive, central and mixed sleep apneas. Many treatments should be a part of your daily (or nightly) routine. That can ultimately reduce or even eliminate sleep apnea’s effects on your life for as long as you use these treatments.

Waking up with a headache may be related to the effects of interrupted sleep, pressure building in the skull, or cardiovascular changes caused by breathing disruptions. For some people, it’s possible to resolve it by reducing their weight or undergoing certain treatments. You can talk to your provider for tips on how to get used to wearing a mask or for recommendations on different types of masks that might work better for you. Positive airway pressure devices can sometimes bring very fast results. Older devices may take some tweaking and adjusting (a process known as ‘titration’) of their settings, but many newer PAP devices can often adjust their settings automatically. Experts estimate it affects about 5% to 10% of people worldwide.

Treatment aims to normalize breathing during sleep and address any underlying health problems. Two nerve stimulation surgeries are available for people with sleep apnea. Hypoglossal nerve stimulation treats OSA, while transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation treats CSA. APAP machines use pressure sensors and a computer algorithm to auto-titrate, or calculate exactly what pressure of air a sleeper needs at any given moment. As a result, an APAP machine might work better for someone who feels uncomfortable with the consistent pressure of air released from a CPAP machine.

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