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Wise and famous words by Anthony Burgess. Sleeping with a
snorer can be exhausting for both parties. Snoring is a common cause and
symptom of a disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). According to the
World Health Organization, approximately 100 million people worldwide have OSA
and in the United States it affects 23 million working adults.
Image Credit: stopsnoringpillows.net
The Problem
Sleep apnea can be a very serious problem. It's a
disorder in which your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are
sleeping. In OSA your throat muscles collapse causing a pause that can last 10 to 20 seconds or more and can
occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour. OSA is the most common type of sleep
apnea and is noted by not enough air getting into your lungs through your mouth
and nose, even though you're trying to breath. This causes the oxygen in your
blood to drop. Normal breaths will start again with a loud snort or choking
sound.
A restful sleep is improbable with OSA. Throughout the
night the episodes of increased airway resistance occurs many times, meaning
you move out of a deep sleep into a light sleep and leading to poor quality
sleep. Along with being tired (which puts you at risk for work and driving
related accidents), people with sleep apnea can have high blood pressure, putting
them at higher risk for heart attacks, diabetes, and strokes.
Loud snoring is a common symptom, but not everyone who
snores has sleep apnea and some people with sleep apnea don't even know they
snore. It is usually discovered by a family member and/or bed partner. OSA can
also manifest as choking or gasping during sleep, morning headaches, mood swings,
and exhaustion during the day.
Common risk factors for the disorder include obesity, overly
relaxed muscles of the throat and tongue, large tonsils and adenoids, and small
bone structure of the head or neck. Middle-aged African American, Hispanic, and
Pacific Islander
men with a family history are at the greatest risk. But anyone can have
sleep apnea. It's diagnosed by a doctor and often a sleep test called a
polysomnogram (PSG) which records brain activity, eye movement, muscle activity,
breathing and heart rate, percentage of oxygen in your blood and the amount of
air moving in and out of your lungs while you sleep.
The Science
There are several treatments available such as simple
lifestyle changes, including avoiding alcohol, smoking, and medicines that make
you sleepy, losing weight if you're overweight, and sleeping on your side.
But if your OSA is severe, you may need more help. The
current gold standard for OSA treatment is a continuous positive airway
pressure (CPAP) mask. The device is worn while you sleep to keep the airways
open and oxygen flowing in. The mask is cumbersome and uncomfortable for many
patients…. but it works.
A new study
published in the New England Journal of Medicine
shows that just three months of CPAP therapy can significantly lower blood
pressure. It also decreases the risk, and even treats symptoms of heart disease
and diabetes.
Seventy-four of 86 patients in the study already had
signs for a metabolic disorder when the study started, but after three months,
20 percent of the patients who completed the therapy for the first time were
more likely to have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and a lower body
mass index compared to those who were not treated.
Snore No More
The CPAP machine has three parts: a
mask to fit over the nose and/or mouth with straps, a tube that connects the
mask to the machine's motor, and a motor that blows air into the tube. When the
patient inhales, the machine gently blows air through the tube and mask into
their nose, mouth, and throat. The mild pressure from CPAP helps keep the
airway open to prevent sleep apnea symptoms even when you exhale. The carbon
dioxide escapes through holes in the make.
The National Heart Lung and Blood
Institute has an excellent animation
for how CPAP works.
There are several styles of the
CPAP mask to fit the size and shape of your face. None are ideal but the
initial fitting trial with CPAP offers some the best sleep they have had in a
long time, and that "will win them over," says Dr. Lisa Liberatore.
Resources
CPAP
Mask Treats Sleep Apnea, Heart Problems
Sleep Apnea
What Is CPAP?
Young T, Palta M, Dempsey J, et al. The occurrence of sleep-disordered
breathing among middle-aged adults. N Engl J Med 1993;328:1230-1235.
http://www.census.gov
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