What Is Sleep Apnea? Northern Arizona

The Basics of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes someone to stop breathing at several points throughout the night. Studies have shown that sufferers can experience pauses hundreds of times each night, each episode lasting up to 30 seconds or even longer. There are three main types of sleep apnea: obstructive, complex, and central.

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

You have sleep apnea if your breathing is repeatedly stopping and restarting while you’re asleep. Oftentimes, these interruptions are due to soft tissues in your mouth or throat collapsing together. Whenever breathing is interrupted, your brain briefly wakes you up for air, thus interrupting the sleep cycle. There are various risk factors for sleep apnea, including obesity, drinking alcohol before bed, genetics, age, and several medical conditions.

Common Sleep Apnea Symptoms

You might have sleep apnea if any of these symptoms sound familiar:

• You have been told that you often snore loudly.
• People have noticed that your breathing can stop while you’re asleep.
• You occasionally wake up gasping or choking.
• You feel tired despite getting about 8 hours of sleep.
• You frequently have trouble focusing or remembering.
• You are experiencing unexplained mood changes (depression is a common example).
• You have high blood pressure.
• You often wake up with a headache.

The Dangers of Sleep Apnea

Sleep is critical to every aspect of your body’s health, including mental health, cardiovascular health, and metabolic health. Disrupting your body’s normal sleep routine disrupts all its systems, which is why sleep apnea is associated with dozens of serious health problems. Among these are:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Obesity, including unexplained weight gain and inability to lose weight
• Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease
• Memory problems
• Cancer
• Depression and other mood disorders
• Sexual dysfunction

These health conditions can be dangerous and even deadly. That’s why people with untreated sleep apnea have a 46% higher risk of premature death. In addition to the risk of early death, people with untreated sleep apnea spend thousands of dollars more each year on medical bills to treat associated conditions.

How is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?

A sleep study (also called a polysomnogram) is the only definitive way to tell whether you suffer from sleep apnea and how severe it might be. Sleep studies can be conducted in a sleep laboratory or at home using an ambulatory sleep study device such as the Sleep Image Ring or Resmed ApneaLink Air. In either case, the tests are completely painless, and they may take two nights to complete.

At Sleep Better Southwest, we help set up the best type of sleep testing for your situation. Once tested, the results are analyzed by a sleep physician who will then give you a definitive diagnosis. From there, our team can help you find the treatment that is right for you.

How is Sleep Apnea Treated?

There are multiple ways to treat sleep apnea. Some patients are recommended a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which (while effective) can be difficult and cumbersome to use nightly. In many cases, an oral appliance can be used in its place, which is customized for the patient’s unique mouth. The appliance helps keep the airway clear, reducing the chances of interrupted breathing!

Benefits of Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea may happen while you’re sleeping, but the benefits of treatment last all day. With quality rest, you’ll find that you have more energy. You will be less likely to fall asleep during the day at work, in the car, or in front of the TV. You will find that you are more likely to want to exercise and stay active. Your lung capacity may improve. You may be less tempted by junk food, and it might be easier to lose weight. You’ll also find you’re less irritable and able to enjoy life more!

Best of all, when it’s time to go to sleep, you’ll love going to bed with your partner. Both of you will be able to sleep through the night – and no one will be complaining about snoring.