Sleep Apnea Syndrome is a type of sleep disorder in which the sufferer has episodes of complete pauses in breathing, and repeated during sleep.
There are three types of sleep apnea, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), central sleep apnea (CSA), and mixed apnea (MSA).
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: OSA may be 4-fold increased in men and 7-fold in those who are overweight (BMI > 30). Thus, severe OSA increases the risk of death in middle-aged men.
Obstructive Sleep apnea includes episodes of partial or complete closure of the upper airways that occur during sleep and lead to apnea (defined as pauses in breathing > 10 seconds) due to a big tongue, tissues in the back of the throat being too large, abnormalities of the jawbone, etc.
Anatomical risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Pharynx “obstructive”
- Larger tongue root, or amygdala
- Round head shape and short neck
- Neck circumference > 43 cm (> 17 inches)
- Thick wall of the throat
- Thick subpharyngeal fat
Other identified risk factors include postmenopausal status, aging, and alcohol or sedative use. Family history of OSA accounts for 25%-40% of cases, the risk is proportional to the number of people in the family with the disease.
Symptoms suggestive of sleep apnea syndrome:
- Snoring accompanied by apnea, asphyxiation
- Sleepy day
- Waking up many times during the night
- Urinate several times during the night
- Morning headache
- Decreased memory, decreased concentration
- Overweight, obesity, abnormalities in the maxillofacial region.
- Resistant hypertension
If you have signs of suspected sleep apnea syndrome, you should see a respiratory specialist clinic for advice. Your doctor may conduct more in-depth sleep testing, specifically polysomnography.
- Clinical Examination of Respiratory
- Clinical examination of Ear, Nose, and Throat
- Electrocardiogram
- Polysomnography, conducted by a sleep specialist, allows the determination of the apnea-hypopnea index (IAH) – which is defined as the number of apneas and hypopneas measured per hour of sleep.
How to treat Sleep Apnea Syndrome:
There are many treatment methods and may require consultation with other specialists such as Ear – Nose – Throat, Cardiology, Neurology, Endocrinology … combination of methods for best treatment results:
- Continuous positive airway pressure
- Wear a jaw brace.
- Surgery.
- Weight loss.
- Lifestyle change.
Most cases of Sleep Apnea Syndrome that remain undiagnosed and untreated are usually associated with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, other arrhythmias, heart failure, and trauma or death from motor vehicle and other accidents due to excessive sleepiness.
Central sleep apnea (CSA): is the condition in which the brain fails to ask the respiratory muscles to activate in cases of brain damage caused by pre-existing medical conditions (such as heart failure or neurological disease), leading to an imbalance in the respiratory control center during sleep.