Untreated sleep apnea- who is at risk?

Most of us do not think that snoring is something to be overly concerned about- unless our bed partner is disrupted by it! However, frequent and loud snoring could be a sign of sleep apnea, a common and hazardous problem which leads to respiratory difficulties while asleep. Sleep apnea affects between 2-4 percent of the middle-aged population. Males, middle-aged and obese have the greatest risk of developing sleep apnea. In untreated sleep apnea, breathing may stop or be markedly reduced. With the stoppage in airflow, there is at least a 4% drop in oxygen in the blood which is a direct result of the reduction in the transfer of oxygen in the blood. At this point, you could be jolted out of your natural rhythm.

Sleep deprivation, nasal congestion and sleeping on your back can worsen sleep apnea. Also, our lifestyle is a factor that contributes to snoring. Drinking alcohol can worsen sleep apnea by reducing the activity of the upper airway and dilating muscles that prevent the airway from closing over during sleep.

As a consequence, you will be spending more time in light sleep and less time in the deep, restorative sleep that you will need to be energetic, mentally sharp, and productive the next day.

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to more severe health consequences. These are some examples.

• Increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart
  attack, stroke, obesity and diabetes

• Increase the risk of, or worsen, heart failure

• Irregular heartbeats

• Increase in chance of having work-related or
  driving accidents

How are you diagnosed?

If you suspect that you are having sleep apnea because of habitual snoring and choking episodes, you should visit a sleep specialist and obtain a detailed medical history and physical examination. Often, a sleep study will be conducted. Breathing, blood oxygenation level, snoring, brain activity and many other parameters are monitored. The sleep study will enable the doctor to diagnose and assess the severity of the condition.

How can you treat sleep apnea?

The basic objective of treating OSA and reversing all the complications is to prevent the upper airway from collapsing inwards during sleep. The various options available include:

• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy

• Upper airway surgery

• Oral appliances

• Lifestyles modifications

CPAP therapy is delivered from a machine which delivers air pressure through a mask placed over your nose while you sleep, just enough to keep your upper airway passages open to help patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea from snoring. Although CPAP is a preferred method of treating sleep apnea, some people find it cumbersome or uncomfortable.

Another option is wearing an oral appliance designed to keep your throat open. CPAP is more effective than oral appliances, but oral appliances may be easier for you to use. Surgical options have success rates rarely higher than 65% and often deteriorate with time.

In my opinion, success rate for all these procedures may not be 100% effective as they are often only between 50-70% effective. The most effective way is to modify your lifestyle. People who have sleep apnea are mostly overweight, partial weight loss (10%) may improve the condition and reduce the risk for more severe health consequences.

Resources

• www.sleepapnea.org -- American Sleep Apnea Association

• www.aasmnet.org -- American Academy of Sleep Medicine

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Insomnia Cures and Sleep Apnea: A Potential Breakthrough.

Firstly, here at insomnia cures and treatments we like to give props where they're appropriately due. That being said, I'm often compelled to mention that Europe is often at the cutting edge of sleep  research, and it's usually the Swiss doing the heavy lifting. Lately, however, an *American company is beginning a pilot study in Belgium, and have developed something extremely promising in the treatment of sleep apnea.

If you're unfamiliar with sleep apnea you can read my previous article "Is Sleep Apnea A Silent Killer?". That post will definitely fill you in. If you do know - perhaps far too well - what a scourge sleep apnea can be and have been treated for it in the past, at some point you've likely been introduced to a device known as CPAP. A CPAP device - put simply - is a largish mask that provides continuous airflow, which in turn keeps the airway from closing during sleep.

The main problem with CPAP is that it's a rather Draconian, a pretty laborious set up, and can be as uncomfortable as a toothache. You can see from the picture above how it would take a good deal of time to get used to sleeping with the device on. From my experience, most people who have been given CPAP will end up throwing it in the trash after a few attempts, if only because it is so uncomfortable and hard to get accustomed to using. While that may not be the smartest thing to do for someone afflicted with Apnea, I can certainly understand the frustration.



Here's the really good news: an *American company is doing some good things in Belgium right now (ImThera Medical, Inc.) having just received approval for human trials on a vastly different and potentially groundbreaking new treatment for people suffering from sleep apnea. For those of you reading that do suffer from the disorder, this could potentially be the best news you've heard in a very long time.

While I could go on and on explaining the process to you in long, boring detail, my guess is a video will be a much better educator. So please do watch the video below for a proper and detailed explanation on this new and hopeful insomnia cures treatment. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the human trials over the next passing months.

*Edit: In my haste to post this good news it seems I was less than generous to my American cousins. As was pointed out by a reader (see the comments below) it is in fact an American group doing this good work, not a company from Belgium as I initially reported. Very glad that Marcelo stopped by to point that out. Thanks Marcelo!

Is Sleep Apnea A Silent Killer?

They say osteoporosis is a silent killer, as it's almost impossible to detect until the damage is done to your bone mass. It is usually discovered only after you've been hospitalized for a broken bone. Another condition that can lead to underlying serious illness is the condition known as sleep apnea. As insomnia cures develop over the years, more and more people are turning to sleep clinics and specialists to diagnose their sleeplessness - only to find out they have developed sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is caused by pauses in breathing during sleep. A standard definition of an apneic event will be 10 continuous second intervals between breaths. This can cause a blood oxygen de-saturation of 3 to 4%. This condition is diagnosed normally with an overnight sleep study called a polysomnogram. Now, I'm not going to bore you with medical terminology, but it is worth noting that a decrease in your blood oxygen night after night, undiagnosed for years has many adverse effects on your well being.

I was actually inspired to write this article from a comment on my most recent post, titled Steve Martins Ambien Experience. While sleep apnea is not necessarily insomnia, it very much negatively affects the quality of sleep we get and thus I have studied it's causes and treatments often in my tenure. Of all the sleep disorders, sleep apnea can cause the greatest amount of direct physiological damage to our bodies, due to the reasons I listed above.

Sleep apnea occurs in two main types: obstructive sleep apnea, which is the more common form. This occurs when throat muscles relax. Central sleep apnea is the second form, and occurs when your brain cannot send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Additionally, some people have complex sleep apnea, which is a combination of both.

Some medical problems that can result from sleep apnea are:

• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• sexual dysfunction
• learning/memory problems
• Cardiovascular problems
• Complications with medications and surgery

There are other areas that can be severely affected by undiagnosed sleep apnea, these just scratch the surface.

Are You At Risk?
If you can answer yes to any of the following human conditions, you may be at risk for developing sleep apnea.

1. If you have high blood pressure or hypertension, sleep apnea is not uncommon.
   
2. You may have inherited a naturally narrow throat or have enlarged adnoids and/or tonsils, all of which can block your airway.
   
3. If you are male you are statistically twice as likely to develop sleep apnea.
   
4. Sleep apnea occurs 2 to 3 times more often in adults over 65.
   
5. A family history of sleep apnea puts you at increased risk.
   
6. The use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers relax the muscles in your throat and can lead to blockage.

There have been remarkable advances in the treatment of this disorder, so if you are at all suspicious about this problem, see a sleep specialist to find out about the latest therapies, such as CPAP, oral appliances, or even surgery. The treatments will differ depending on the type of apnea you are diagnosed with, but all are ery effective.

Should you wish to try your own insomnia cure, or in this case sleep apnea cure, there are a few lifestyle adjustments you should make to alleviate the symptoms, but only until you get to a proper sleep specialist. These are not really cures (of course) but they can help.

1. Lose excess weight. Even a slight decrease in weight can help relieve constriction in your throat.
   
2. Avoid alcohol, sleep meds and tranquilizers.
3. Sleep on your side or abdomen rather than your back.
4. Keep your nasal passages open at night by using a saline nasal spray. My clinic has used this product as it contains aloe to keep from drying out the nasal passage. Decongestants and/or antihistamines work as well, but most of these types of medications are for short term use only.
5. Raise your torso and head 4 to 6 inches during your sleep. You can achieve this with a sleep aiding pillow, such as the one located here, which comes highly recommended. Other pillows come designed with people using CPAP therapy to assist their night time breathing. If you are already implementing a CPAP therapy, an excellent sleep aid pillow can be found here.
   

Remember, if you suspect that you or someone you love may have sleep apnea, don't wait for another insomnia cures post to nag you into doing something about it. Contact a sleep specialist and take a proper test now. You may add years to your life by being proactive.