Sleep Apnea
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association (http://www.sleepapnea.org/):
"The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.
Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed sleep apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses sleep apnea victims from sleep in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.
Sleep apnea is extremely common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues."
As a patient, this researcher has endured quack remedies, surgery and currently uses a "Continuous Positive Air Pressure" (CPAP) device in order to control the disease. Surgery consisted of the removal of a pound of flesh from the throat (uvula, tonsils, adenoids and excess tissue are removed). This was not effective and the researcher has learned that the overall success rate of these surgeries is questionable. The CPAP is effective at controlling the episodes of breathing cessation, but requires that the patient take the 15 pound piece of equipment everywhere he or she intends to sleep. The favorite quack remedy consisted of sewing a tennis ball into the back of a pair of pajamas (presumably to keep the patient from sleeping on their back), but the result was only a tennis ball imprint in the middle of the back.
It also seems that sleep apnea is often associated with extremely loud snoring. Many times the apnea sufferer seeks help with a snoring problem, only to discover apnea. Sufferers will snore loudly and then take a deep, room shaking snort right before holding their breath. A spouse or roommate will often recognize these symptoms and complain. Many people who snore loudly, especially if they snore when sleeping on their sides or stomach (as well as snoring when on their back) will find that they have apnea to some degree. Only a sleep study at a medical center qualified to treat sleep disorders can properly diagnose sleep apnea. Many general practicioners are ignorant of the disease or its treatment.
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"The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.
Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed sleep apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses sleep apnea victims from sleep in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.
Sleep apnea is extremely common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues."
As a patient, this researcher has endured quack remedies, surgery and currently uses a "Continuous Positive Air Pressure" (CPAP) device in order to control the disease. Surgery consisted of the removal of a pound of flesh from the throat (uvula, tonsils, adenoids and excess tissue are removed). This was not effective and the researcher has learned that the overall success rate of these surgeries is questionable. The CPAP is effective at controlling the episodes of breathing cessation, but requires that the patient take the 15 pound piece of equipment everywhere he or she intends to sleep. The favorite quack remedy consisted of sewing a tennis ball into the back of a pair of pajamas (presumably to keep the patient from sleeping on their back), but the result was only a tennis ball imprint in the middle of the back.
It also seems that sleep apnea is often associated with extremely loud snoring. Many times the apnea sufferer seeks help with a snoring problem, only to discover apnea. Sufferers will snore loudly and then take a deep, room shaking snort right before holding their breath. A spouse or roommate will often recognize these symptoms and complain. Many people who snore loudly, especially if they snore when sleeping on their sides or stomach (as well as snoring when on their back) will find that they have apnea to some degree. Only a sleep study at a medical center qualified to treat sleep disorders can properly diagnose sleep apnea. Many general practicioners are ignorant of the disease or its treatment.
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