Answer
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is very common and present in 2 to 5 percent of adults.
Symptoms
- Loud snoring - snorting and gasping during sleep
- Witnessed apneas (briefly stop breathing while sleeping
- Restless sleep, Non-refreshing sleep
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Can be dangerous, particularly if driving or operating machinery
- Morning headaches, difficulty concentrating
Why does OSA occur?
- During sleep, muscles relax, and the back of the throat narrows, ausing obstruction of airflow - snoring and apneas, oxygen levels fall.
- brain wakes up from sleep to open the throat muscles briefly, then returns to sleep
- Cycle repeats, thus - disrupted sleep
Greatest Risk factor - obesity
How is diagnosis made?
- Overnight Sleep Study in the Sleep Lab (Polysomnography)
Why treat OSA?
- Improve daytime alertness
- If severe, may increase risk of hypertension, stroke, heart disease
Treatments
- CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask worn over the nose nightly. Air pressure "splints" open the airway while sleeping, to prevent snoring and obstruction of airflow
- Weight loss (difficult to achieve)
- Other options for mild OSA, including Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) surgery to remove extra tissue in the throat; dental devices
Some other causes of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS)
- Insufficient sleep (All too common with today's hectic lifestyle)
- Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) (Sleep study shows rhythmic leg movements, associated with frequent awakenings, disrupting sleep; may be associated with daytime symptoms of needing to constantly move the legs (Restless Legs Syndrome)
- Narcolepsy (A less common disorder; can be diagnosed by specialized testing in the Sleep Lab)
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