The tendency to shun bad news is common. When someone complains of the distress experienced due to obstructive sleep apnea, somewhere deep down in our minds, we feel that such illnesses are not going to knock on our doors. We shut our eyes and ears to the extent that we do not bother to know what the illness is all about, what the signs are and most importantly, how they treat such a condition.
What is the condition all about?
Sleep apnea is clearly the worst type of sleep disorder that happens when snoring is neglected for a long time. The airways narrow causing major breathing distress. There are recurrent pauses in breathing during sleep; here a single pause may last for about 10 seconds or more. Depending on the severity of the condition, a patient may experience 5 to 30 such pauses in one hour, repeated several time during the night.
There are three types of this disorder, of which the obstructive type is most prevalent, affecting close to 70% of people diagnosed with the condition. It happens when there is a complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract.
Are you at risk?
According to official statistics, more men than women who are touching 50, obese and loud and persistent snorers are high risk individuals to be affected by the condition. In fact, the severity of the condition is directly proportional to the degree of obesity. Close to half of all patients suffering from heart problems are potential victims and nearly 60% of them end up suffering a stroke too.
Sleep apnea symptoms: the early signs
Though common, this disorder usually remains undiagnosed since the typical features show up during sleep. Usually the bed partner receives the alarm signals and calls for help. Some of the signs that get noticed during the initial stages include:
- Loud and persistent snoring that does not get cured with traditional snoring solutions.
- Choking and gasping during sleep.
- Pauses between snoring; the patient seems to have stopped breathing during these phases.
- Sleep marked by repeated choking and gasps for air.
The patient ultimately notices these features:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness. This is an important indicator since average snoring does not cause daytime tiredness.
- Rapid and unintentional weight gain
- Sore throat and dry mouth on waking up
- Headaches
- Mood deterioration like depression, irritability, etc.
- Problems with focusing
- Poor memory
Avoiding misdiagnosis
Diagnosing the type of disorder that a patient is suffering from is often difficult because of the prevalence of some common signs. For example, excessive daytime sleepiness is not only a sign of the onset of this disorder, but also one of the main narcolepsy symptoms and it one of the ruling features of hypersomnia.
Chances of misdiagnosis can be averted if certain other differentiators are kept in mind. For instance, narcolepsy has another tell-tale sign: sudden sleep attacks. This feature clearly puts it in a separate class. Likewise, the age of onset for apnea is around 50 years of age; other sleep disorders set in earlier.
Sleep apnea treatment - how do doctors choose therapy?
Choice of therapy depends entirely on the seriousness of the condition. If it is between mild and moderate some common options include quitting alcohol, changing sleeping posture, raising pillow height, etc. Special pillows are used for relief from snoring and CPAP therapy is recommended for restoration of normal breathing.
For managing severe obstructive sleep apnea, surgery is invariably the best option. Plenty of choices exist including genioglossus advancement; mandibular myotomy, tracheotomy, uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), hyoid suspension; maxillomandibular surgery; and bariatric surgery.
What is the condition all about?
Sleep apnea is clearly the worst type of sleep disorder that happens when snoring is neglected for a long time. The airways narrow causing major breathing distress. There are recurrent pauses in breathing during sleep; here a single pause may last for about 10 seconds or more. Depending on the severity of the condition, a patient may experience 5 to 30 such pauses in one hour, repeated several time during the night.
There are three types of this disorder, of which the obstructive type is most prevalent, affecting close to 70% of people diagnosed with the condition. It happens when there is a complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract.
Are you at risk?
According to official statistics, more men than women who are touching 50, obese and loud and persistent snorers are high risk individuals to be affected by the condition. In fact, the severity of the condition is directly proportional to the degree of obesity. Close to half of all patients suffering from heart problems are potential victims and nearly 60% of them end up suffering a stroke too.
Sleep apnea symptoms: the early signs
Though common, this disorder usually remains undiagnosed since the typical features show up during sleep. Usually the bed partner receives the alarm signals and calls for help. Some of the signs that get noticed during the initial stages include:
- Loud and persistent snoring that does not get cured with traditional snoring solutions.
- Choking and gasping during sleep.
- Pauses between snoring; the patient seems to have stopped breathing during these phases.
- Sleep marked by repeated choking and gasps for air.
The patient ultimately notices these features:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness. This is an important indicator since average snoring does not cause daytime tiredness.
- Rapid and unintentional weight gain
- Sore throat and dry mouth on waking up
- Headaches
- Mood deterioration like depression, irritability, etc.
- Problems with focusing
- Poor memory
Avoiding misdiagnosis
Diagnosing the type of disorder that a patient is suffering from is often difficult because of the prevalence of some common signs. For example, excessive daytime sleepiness is not only a sign of the onset of this disorder, but also one of the main narcolepsy symptoms and it one of the ruling features of hypersomnia.
Chances of misdiagnosis can be averted if certain other differentiators are kept in mind. For instance, narcolepsy has another tell-tale sign: sudden sleep attacks. This feature clearly puts it in a separate class. Likewise, the age of onset for apnea is around 50 years of age; other sleep disorders set in earlier.
Sleep apnea treatment - how do doctors choose therapy?
Choice of therapy depends entirely on the seriousness of the condition. If it is between mild and moderate some common options include quitting alcohol, changing sleeping posture, raising pillow height, etc. Special pillows are used for relief from snoring and CPAP therapy is recommended for restoration of normal breathing.
For managing severe obstructive sleep apnea, surgery is invariably the best option. Plenty of choices exist including genioglossus advancement; mandibular myotomy, tracheotomy, uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), hyoid suspension; maxillomandibular surgery; and bariatric surgery.
About the Author:
Do you want to know more about sleep apnea symptoms, then visit Douglas Kidder's site and find out everything you want to know about obstructive sleep apnea.
