Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a common but serious sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, disrupting oxygen flow to the brain and body. This condition can lead to poor sleep quality, excessive daytime fatigue, and long-term health complications if left untreated.

There are three main types of sleep apnea:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage or collapse of the airway during sleep.

Central apnea occurs when the brain fails to transmit the signal to breathe. 

Mixed apnea has both central and obstructive components, typically starting with the patient not making an effort to breathe and ending with an obstruction as the patient tries to resume normal breathing.

Symptoms 

  • Persistent or irregular snoring, particularly if associated with pauses or gasps 
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness/fatigue 
  • Unrefreshing sleep
  • Awakening with a dry mouth or acid taste in the mouth
  • Awakening with morning headaches
  • Complaints of insomnia
  • Night sweats
  • Rapid weight gain
  • Confusion or memory loss 
  • Irritability or moodiness
What happens while you sleep

Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when your airway is blocked but you continue to make an effort to breathe due to an obstruction in the back of your throat from the soft palate or base of your tongue.  The repetitive stoppages in breathing can occur 5 to 10 times per hour of sleep or more and range from as short as 10 seconds to longer than 2 minutes in duration for each event for some patients. 

Obstructive breathing in sleep causes your brain to either wake up or go to a lighter level of sleep to re-open the airway and resume breathing. You may be unaware of your own snoring and rely on a bed partner or family member to inform you, even when the snoring is very loud in severity. You may experience excessive daytime sleepiness because of the repetitive arousals occurring during sleep to re-establish a normal or open airway. Your apnea may be mild or severe, depending on the frequency of your breathing stoppages, the poor quality of your sleep or the drops in your blood oxygen levels.

Learn More About Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive breathing in sleep causes your brain to either wake up or go to a lighter level of sleep to re-open the airway and resume breathing. You may be unaware of your own snoring and rely on a bed partner or family member to inform you, even when the snoring is very loud in severity. You may experience excessive daytime sleepiness because of the repetitive arousals occurring during sleep to re-establish a normal or open airway. Your apnea may be mild or severe, depending on the frequency of your breathing stoppages, the poor quality of your sleep or the drops in your blood oxygen levels.


OSA affects 4-9% of the general population. It becomes more prevalent as we age, affecting 15% of middle-aged men, and up to 25% of all individuals over the age of 65. Although it is more common in men before the age of 65, women tend to catch-up to the men after menopause. Obesity is the most common contributing factor leading to OSA. However, patients who are thin can still have severe obstructive sleep apnea if they have a small lower jaw or abnormal enlarged tonsils.

Obstructive sleep apnea also puts a major stress on your heart and has many long-term consequences..

Your Health

OSA: A Risk Factor For Multiple Diseases

  • #1 known cause of high blood pressure in the United States
  • Triples the risk for a heart attack
  • Increases the risk for a stroke
  • Potential cause of cardiac arrest and death during sleep
  • Increases the risk for developing atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, diabetes, depression, headaches, memory impairment (dementia) and erectile dysfunction in men

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Consequences

The quality of your sleep is deeply compromised as you experience frequent brief awakenings to resume normal breathing. As a result, you may complain of non-refreshing sleep, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, decreased performance and low energy. You may even put yourself and others in danger by increasing your risk of falling asleep at the wheel while driving.

 

Diagnosis

Our provider will review your symptoms and medical history, perform a physical examination to measure your neck circumference and check for any anatomical abnormalities in the throat or upper airway, including enlarged tonsils, tongue or soft palate. We recommend that your bed partner be present during your initial consultation to provide additional information since you may not be aware of your own snoring or breathing pauses during sleep. 

If sleep apnea is suspected, an overnight sleep study/polysomnogram (PSG) or a home sleep study (HST) will be recommended. A PSG is comprehensive by nature and involves monitoring numerous physiological variables including your brain activity (EEG), heart (EKG), leg muscles (EMG) and eye movements (EOG), as well as airflow and blood oxygen levels during the various sleep stages. The occurrence of any apneas (loss of airflow) or hypopneas (transient reduction of airflow) are closely monitored. A home sleep study is an unattended procedure performed at home. Various sensors monitor your heart rate, pulse, respiratory effort, arterial oxygen saturation, airflow and body position. Some units allow EEG staging.

 

Treatment

Click here to learn more about treatment options.