Sleep Apnea


  • What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that can be very serious. In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping. Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour. The most common type of sleeping problem is obstructive sleep apnea. During sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs through your mouth and nose even though you try to breathe. When this happens, the amount of oxygen in your blood may drop. Normal breaths then start again with a loud snort or choking sound.

When your sleep is upset throughout the night, you can be very sleepy during the day. With sleeping apnea, your sleep is not restful because: These brief episodes of increased airway resistance (and breathing pauses) occur many times. You may have many brief drops in the oxygen levels in your blood. You move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night, resulting in poor sleep quality. People with sleep apnea often have loud snoring. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Some people with sleeping disorder don’t know they snore. Sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but even thin people can have it. Most people don’t know they have sleep apnea. They don’t know that they are having breathing problems while they are sleeping. A family member and/or bed partner may notice the signs of sleep apnea first. Untreated sleep apnea can increase the chance of having high blood pressure and even a heart attack or stroke. Untreated sleep apnea can also increase the risk of diabetes and the risk for work-related accidents and driving accidents. Sleep apnea happens when enough air cannot move into your lungs while you are sleeping. When you are awake, and normally during sleep, your throat muscles keep your throat open and air flows into your lungs. In obstructive sleep apnea, however, the throat briefly collapses, causing pauses in your breathing. With pauses in breathing, the oxygen level in your blood may drop. This happens if the following conditions occur:
  • Your throat muscles and tongue relax more than is normal.
  • Your tonsils and adenoids are large.
  • You are overweight. The extra soft tissue in your throat makes it harder to keep the throat area open.
  • The shape of your head and neck (bony structure) results in somewhat smaller airway size in the mouth and throat area.
With the throat frequently fully or partly blocked during sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs, even though your efforts to breathe continue. Your breathing may become hard and noisy and may even stop for short periods of time (apneas). Central apnea is a rare type of sleep apnea that happens when the area of your brain that controls your breathing doesn’t send the correct signals to the breathing muscles. Then there is no effort to breathe at all for brief periods. Snoring does not typically occur in central apnea.

More than half the people who have sleep apnea are overweight, and most snore heavily. Sleep apnea is more common in men. One out of 25 middle-aged men and 1 out of 50 middle-aged women have sleep apnea that causes them to be very sleepy during the day. If someone in your family has sleep apnea, you are more likely to develop it than someone without a family history of the condition.

Adults who are most likely to have sleep apnea:
  • Snore loudly.
  • Are overweight.
  • Have high blood pressure.
  • Have a decreased size of the airways in their nose, throat, or mouth. This can be caused by the shape of these structures or by medical conditions causing congestion in these areas, such as hay fever or other allergies.
  • Have a family history of sleep apnea.
The most common signs of sleep apnea are:
  • Loud snoring
  • Choking or gasping during sleep
  • Fighting sleepiness during the day (even at work or while driving)
Your family members may notice the symptoms before you do. Otherwise, you will likely not be aware that you have breathing problems while you are asleep.

Others signs of sleep apnea may include:
  • Morning headaches.
  • Memory or learning problems.
  • Feeling irritable.
  • Not being able to concentrate on your work.
  • Mood swings or personality changes; perhaps feeling depressed.
  • Dry throat when you wake up.
  • Frequent urination at night.
Treatment is aimed at restoring regular nighttime breathing and relieving symptoms such as very loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. Treatment will also help associated medical problems, such as high blood pressure, and reduce the risk for heart attack and stroke.

Changes in Activities or Habits

If you have mild sleep apnea, some changes in daily activities or habits may be all that are needed:
  • Avoid alcohol, smoking, and medicines that make you sleepy. They make it harder for your throat to stay open while you sleep.
  • Lose weight if you are overweight. Even a little weight loss can improve your symptoms.
  • Sleep on your side instead of your back. Sleeping on your side may help keep your throat open.
People with moderate or severe sleep apnea will need to make these changes as well.

Credit: National Institute of Health.
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