An Introduction to Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep.
With sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping. Each pause typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour.
If you have sleep apnea, your sleep is not restful because:
- These brief episodes of increased airway resistance (and breathing pauses) occur many times
- You may have many brief drops in the level of oxygen in your blood
- You move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night, resulting in poor sleep quality.
When your sleep is upset throughout the night, you can be very sleepy during the day.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. During sleep, not enough air is able to flow into your lungs through your mouth and nose, even though you try to breathe. When this happens, the amount of oxygen in your blood may drop. Normal breaths then start again with a loud snort or choking sound.
People with sleep apnea often have loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. Another symptom of sleep apnea is frequent long pauses in breathing during sleep, followed by choking and gasping for breath. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Some people with sleep apnea don't even know they snore.
Sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but even thin people can have it.
A family member or bed partner may notice the signs of sleep apnea first.
Untreated sleep apnea can increase the chance of having
high blood pressure and even a
heart attack or
stroke. Untreated sleep apnea can also increase the risk of
diabetes and the risk for work-related accidents and driving accidents.
Statistics on Sleep Apnea
It is estimated that more than 12 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea. More than half the people who have sleep apnea are overweight, and most snore heavily.
Adults most likely to have sleep apnea include those who:
- Snore loudly
- Are overweight
- Have high blood pressure
- Have a family history of sleep apnea
- Have decreased size of the airways in their nose, throat, or mouth.
Narrowed airways can be caused by the shape of these structures or by medical conditions causing congestion in these areas, such as
hay fever or other
allergies.
Sleep apnea is more common in men than in women. One out of every 25 middle-aged men and 1 out of every 50 middle-aged women have sleep apnea that causes them to be very sleepy during the day. Sleep apnea is more common in African Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders. If someone in your family has sleep apnea, you are more likely to develop sleep apnea than someone without a family history of the condition.
Obstructive sleep apnea can also occur in children who snore. If your child snores, you should discuss it with your child's doctor or healthcare provider.
Key information about sleep apnea includes the following:
- Sleep apnea is a common breathing disorder that can be very serious.
- With sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow for periods of 10 seconds or longer many times during the night.
- Most people with sleep apnea snore loudly on a regular basis.
- Loud snoring and choking or gasping during sleep and being sleepy during the day are the most common signs of sleep apnea.
- Having a physical exam and providing your doctor with information about your sleep will help to diagnose sleep apnea. Your doctor may also want you to have special sleep tests.
- Treatment for sleep apnea is aimed at restoring regular nighttime breathing and relieving symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea treatment will also help with associated medical problems (such as high blood pressure) and reduce the patient's risk of heart attack and stroke.
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