HealthyCanada.com

Overview

Sleep apnea is a common condition in which your breathing is repeatedly interrupted for short periods while you sleep. This is most frequently caused when your tongue relaxes and blocks your throat resulting in paused breathing. As a result impulses from your brain wake you up so you can start breathing again. For some people this cycle can repeat hundreds of times during sleep resulting in sleep deprivation. People with sleep apnea will partially awaken as they struggle to breathe but in the morning they will not be aware of the disturbances in their sleep.

Sleep apnea can affect anyone but tends to be more common in men and people who are overweight. Sometimes sleep apnea is referred to as the 'snoring disease' because most people diagnosed with it snore regularly. One in five adults has at least mild sleep apnea and one in fifteen adults have at least moderate sleep apnea.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which is caused by relaxation of soft tissue in the back of the throat that blocks the passage of air. Central sleep apnea (CSA) is caused by irregularities in the brain's normal signals to breathe. Most people with sleep apnea have a combination of both types.

Sleep apnea symptoms may include:

• Feeling tired in the morning after an adequate amount of sleep
• Waking up several times a night for no apparent reason
• Excessive daytime fatigue
• Snoring with pauses in breathing (apnea)
• Gasping or choking during sleep
• Problem with mental function
• Quick to anger
• High blood pressure
• Nighttime chest pain
• Depression
• Problem with excess weight
• Morning headaches
• Frequent trips to the bathroom at night

The best way to determine if you have sleep apnea is to get tested at a sleep centre. Your family doctor can refer you. Based on your test results your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes to help you with mild sleep apnea or treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea.

Lifestyle changes include avoiding alcohol and medications that relax the central nervous system (for example sedatives and muscle relaxants) losing weight and quitting smoking. Some people are helped by special pillows or devices that keep them from sleeping on their back or oral appliances to keep the airway open during sleep. If these methods are not effective doctors often recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in which a face mask is attached to a tube and a machine that blows pressurized air into the mask and through the airway to keep it open. There are also surgical procedures that can be used to remove tissue and widen the airway. Some people may need a combination of therapies to successfully treat their sleep apnea. What is important is that you get the help you need as untreated sleep apnea can result in a variety of complications.

Excessive daytime sleepiness can cause people to fall asleep at inappropriate times such as while they are driving. Sleep apnea also appears to put people at a higher risk for stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs also known as "mini-strokes") and is associated with coronary heart disease heart failure irregular heartbeat heart attack and high blood pressure. Although there is no cure for sleep apnea studies show that successful treatment can reduce the risk of heart and blood pressure problems.