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What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing during the night. Pauses in breathing may last for just a few seconds or up to a few minutes. These breaks in breathing occur frequently during the night. In fact, some people with severe sleep apnea stop breathing more than 30 times an hour.

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea and mixed/complex sleep apnea. Causes vary based on the kind of sleep apnea you have.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is the most common form of sleep apnea. It occurs when your airway becomes obstructed during the night. As you sleep, the muscles in your head and neck relax. If you have OSA, relaxed tissues press on your windpipe, making it difficult for air to travel in and out of your lungs. As a result, you temporarily stop breathing.

Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea, or CSA, happens when the nerves that control breathing don’t work properly. Ordinarily, the brain continues to send messages to your nerves to keep your breathing continuous throughout the night. When these messages get interrupted or are improperly conveyed, breathing halts for a short period of time.

Mixed/Complex Sleep Apnea

If you have mixed/complex sleep apnea, you stop breathing due to both obstruction of your airway and problems with the nervous system.

What Are the Risk Factors for Sleep Apnea?

The risk factors for sleep apnea vary by type. However, older adults are more at risk for developing both OSA and CSA. For obstructive sleep apnea, being overweight or obese is a major risk factor. People who are Black, Hispanic or Asian are also more likely to develop OSA.

In addition to age, risk factors for central sleep apnea include:

• Heart conditions, such as congestive heart failure
• Neurological conditions, such as damage from a previous stroke
• Taking opioid pain medications
• Certain inherited disorders, such as Prader-Willi syndrome and Rett syndrome

What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea can cause a number of symptoms, including:

• Breathing noises starting and stopping during the night
• Gasping for air at night
• Loud snoring
• Feeling sleepy during the day
• Difficulty concentrating
• Slowed reaction times
• Headaches
• Dry mouth
• Decreased libido
• Waking up to urinate frequently at night

What Are the Possible Complications of Sleep Apnea?

If you have sleep apnea, your body may not get enough oxygen during the night due to the frequent pauses in breathing. Because of this, sleep apnea can lead to health complications. Uncontrolled sleep apnea may increase the risk of heart problems, type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart attack. Fortunately, getting treatment for the condition can lower the likelihood of health complications.

How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose Sleep Apnea?

To diagnose sleep apnea, your health care provider will discuss your symptoms with you, conduct an examination and order tests, such as:

• Sleep diary: Your health care provider may ask you to keep a journal of your sleep habits for a couple of weeks before performing further tests. They will usually ask you to write down what time you went to bed, when you got up in the morning and how many times you woke up during the night.
• Home test: Your health care provider may give you specialized equipment to track your breathing patterns and heart rate while you sleep at home for a few nights.
• Drug-induced endoscopy (DISE): To diagnose OSA, you may undergo this test where you’re placed under anesthesia while your health care provider looks for obstructions using a long, thin tube equipped with a camera.
• Sleep study: During a sleep study, you spend the night in a sleep center, where monitors gather information about your breathing, brain activity, heart rate and muscle movements while you sleep.

What Are the Treatments for Sleep Apnea?

Depending on the cause and severity of your sleep apnea symptoms, your health care provider may recommend one of the following treatments:

• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP): Worn while you sleep, this mask device regulates air pressure in your windpipe to keep it open throughout the night.
• Oral appliances: For OSA, a health care provider may order a custom-made appliance you wear inside your mouth to keep your airways open.
• Supplemental oxygen: If you have CSA, your health care provider may have you wear an oxygen mask during the night to keep oxygen levels within normal range.
• Surgery: Surgical procedures to remove or shrink tissue from the area around the airway or to reposition your jaw may be necessary if other treatments fail to relieve your symptoms.

When to Talk to Your Doctor About Sleep Apnea

If you wake up frequently during the night, snore loudly or often feel tired during the day, schedule an appointment with your health care provider to discuss sleep apnea. Residents of Hickory Villa senior living community  in Omaha, Nebraska, can take advantage of scheduled transportation services as part of our services and amenities to make getting to the doctor’s office easy.