Obstructive Sleep Apnea

 02 Maret 2018   

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Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder with pauses in breathing while you are asleep. The stoppage can last for 10-30 seconds at a time, up to 20-30 times per hour.

During one night, breathing may stop up to 400 times.

Brain will sense the pause in breathing and wake you up. Waking up restores normal breathing but breaks the sleep cycle. Poor sleep can make you tired during the day,  lead to other serious medical conditions like high blood pressure or depression.

Causa

1. Obstructive – Muscles in the body to relax during sleep. The soft tissue in the back of the throat and mouth to sink toward the throat, blocks the airway and stop normal breathing.
2. Central—Breathing is controlled by signals from the brain. If the signals are not working properly, breathing can interrupted.
3. Mixed—Both soft tissue and nerve signals

Sleep apnea is more common in men, and in adults over 40 years old

Predisposising factor

• Excess weight or obesity, Large neck circumference,  Family history of apnea, Structure problems of the nose or throat such as: Nasal polyps, Severely enlarged tonsils, Deviated nasal septum,  Hypothyroidism ,Asthma,  sedatives medicine, Excess alcohol intake,  Smoking
• Loud snoring , breathing stops at night, repeated waking at night is the sign symtomp of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea could lead to :

• Fatigue and sleepiness throughout the day
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Morning headaches
• Poor concentration or problems with memory
• Irritability or short temper
• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular disease
• Depression
• Stroke
• Increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents

Diagnoses

• The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history
• Polysomnography is test that will help find sleep disorders. It show the severity of the apnea
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• Oximetry to detect amount of oxygen that reaches your blood
• Blood tests to check thyroid function
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)—to check the heart function

Treatment

Treating sleep apnea will decrease symptoms and reduce risk factors for other health conditions. Mild forms may be managed with some lifestyle changes. Severe forms may need long term treatment. The exact treatment will depend on the type of sleep apnea and its severity

• If you are overweight, lose excess weight.
• Avoid using sedatives, sleeping pills, alcohol, and tobacco.
• Try sleeping on your side instead of on your back. Laying on your back will let soft tissue fall directly into your airway.
• Use pillows to help you prop yourself into a better position when sleeping.
• Oral Appliances. Oral appliances are small devices that keep the lower jaw in a forward position. This helps pull the tongue away from the airway.
• Mechanical Therapy with Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) , is a machine that gently blows air into your airway to help keep it open. The air is delivered through a mask that you wear while sleeping.
• Surgery to shrink tissue / remove extra tissue help relieve obstructive sleep apnea.