Q's Health News

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house was such a loud racket; dad was snoring with his mouth open wide, and I just couldn’t hack it…

Snoring can be funny or really annoying, but it can also be a symptom of an underlying health condition: Sleep Apnea. Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. The pauses may only last a couple of seconds, but can be frequent. When your breathing pauses or becomes shallow, most often you move from a deep restful sleep to a light sleep. Since you are not getting the amount of deep restful sleep you need, you can have excessive daytime sleepiness.

You may not even know you have sleep apnea, because it happens when you sleep. You don’t consciously realize that you are in a light sleep; you might think you had a great night’s sleep. When in reality, you did not get the amount of deep sleep that you need to be healthy and rested.

There are two main types of sleep apnea. The most common is obstructive sleep apnea; this happens when the airway collapses and becomes blocked during sleep. When this happens, any air that squeezes past the blockage creates a snoring sound.

The less common is central sleep apnea; this occurs when the area of your brain that controls your breathing doesn't send the correct signals to your breathing muscles, in this case you make no effort to breathe.

When you fall asleep the muscles in your throat relax and this narrows your airway. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, your muscles may relax more than normal causing a very narrow passage for air.

It can also be caused by tongue and tonsils that are too large for your airway. Being overweight can also be related to sleep apnea, because excess fat can cause a thickening of the wall of the windpipe, which narrows the air passageway. You could also be genetically built in a way that makes it more likely to have a narrow airway. Also, as we age the brains ability to keep your neck muscles stiff during sleep decreases.

Sleep apnea doesn’t only affect your sleep cycle; other health conditions can be caused from untreated sleep apnea. With untreated sleep apnea you are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes; having a heart attack or stroke; obesity; increasing risk of developing heart failure or worsening heart failure; increased risk of developing irregular heartbeats (dysrhythmias); and because of the excessive daytime drowsiness you are at higher risk of driving accidents or work related accidents.

Part of the increased risk of these other diseases is because your body is not getting the amount of oxygen it needs. When your breathing pauses, the oxygen level in your body decreases, which can have lasting effects on your body systems. When the oxygen drops to a dangerous level, it triggers your brain to disturb your sleep. This helps tighten the upper airway muscles and open your airway. Normal breathing then starts again, often with a loud snort or choking sound.

However, frequent drops in your blood oxygen level and reduced sleep quality can trigger the release of stress hormones. These hormones raise your heart rate and this increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, heart failure and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). Untreated sleep apnea also can lead to changes in how your body uses energy; which can increase your risk for obesity and diabetes.

The most common sign of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring. However, there are other signs and symptoms. As I said earlier, excessive daytime sleepiness can be a sign of sleep apnea; if you find yourself falling asleep rapidly during quiet moments of the day, it may be time to get checked out.

Other symptoms include: morning headaches, memory problems or not being able to concentrate, irritability, depression or mood swings, waking up frequently to urinate, and having a dry mouth or sore throat in the morning.

If you think you may have sleep apnea or have some of these symptoms, please make an appointment to see your Primary Healthcare Provider (PCP). There are sleep tests that can be done to determine if you have sleep apnea. At Dahl Memorial Clinic, we often start with an overnight pulse oximetry test. This can be done in your home. You have to wear an oxygen probe on a finger which is attached to a special “watch”. This report tells the PCP if you have pauses in your breathing, what your oxygen level is during sleep, and a couple other things.

The next step is a formal overnight sleep study and there are a couple different options with that. When the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea is made, one treatment option is a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. This is something that will have to be used lifelong, but it works to keep the airway open. This way you are able to get the deep restful sleep that is needed to be healthy!

For more information on sleep apnea, check out: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-apnea. Thanks for joining me again this month! If you have questions or comments, you can find me at Dahl Memorial Healthcare Association or if you can email me at [email protected].

Raquel S. Williams, RN