What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

If a loved one has told you that you snore loudly and you feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you may have sleep apnea. Sleep studies are often conducted to discover whether or not you have sleep apnea. It is important to stay ahead of this issue, as it can range from being mild to sometimes fatally problematic. Sleep disorders have the potential to negatively impact one’s quality of life and overall well-being, so it is essential to understand what they are, as well as their causes, symptoms, and treatments available.

The main types of sleep apnea include:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Central Sleep Apnea
Treatment-emergent central sleep apnea

What is obstructive sleep apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the more common type of sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. Obstructive sleep apnea often results because of relaxed throat muscles that block the flow of air into the lungs. When the muscles relax in the throat, the soft tissues at the back of the throat collapse. Sleep would then be patterned by breathing pauses that may last up to over a minute in severe cases. It often wakes up the person in order to resume breathing, which is why a full night’s sleep does not offer any rest.

How to tell if someone has obstructive sleep apnea?

There are several symptoms health care practicioners look for in order to determine a diagnosis. These include:

Loud and excessive snoring
Witnessed apnea – when someone reports that you have stopped breathing in your sleep
Gasping for air during sleep
Dry throat and mouth
Headaches and lightheadedness in the morning
Difficulty sleeping through the night or at all, the latter being known as insomnia
Hypersomnia, or, simply put, excessive daytime sleepiness
Trouble with paying attention when awake

To get a precise answer, you might need to do a sleep study, also known as a polysomnogram. The study monitors general body functions like brain activity, eye movement, and air pressure when you sleep.

Can obstructive sleep apnea be fixed?

There is no cure for sleep apnea, which means that it cannot fully disappear, though it can be helped. Fortunately, however, studies show that certain lifestyle factors may reverse or make sleep apnea less severe. There are surgical options that may reverse the condition. Doctors can provide specific instructions for treatment that may reduce symptoms.

Can sleep apnea go away?

Some lifestyle changes can decrease the severity of mild sleep apnea, but it may never completely disappear.

Your doctor may recommend the following:

Lose weight: 50% of people with sleep apnea are overweight. This may cause extra tissue in your throat, making it harder to breathe. Though it is not a rule, if your neck is over 16 inches, this may be notable.
Decrease your alcohol intake at night and do not take sleeping pills: decrease the muscle tone in the back of your throat, which may interfere with airflow.
Change sleep positions: sleeping on your back often leads to elevated counts of apnea. Sleeping on your side may help decrease your apnea symptoms.
Do not smoke: it can increase swelling and inflammation in your upper airway, which makes both snoring and apnea worse.

What is the main cause of sleep apnea?

Some of the following may cause sleep apnea (some of which have already been mentioned):

Being overweight
Neck circumference
Being male
Excessive nasal congestion
Underlying medical conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, diabetes)
Age
Airway obstruction

What level of sleep apnea requires a CPAP?

Not all sleep apnea conditions require treatment with a CPAP, a machine that uses mild air pressure to keep breathing airways open when sleeping. While moderate and severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea treatment recommend CPAP use, it may also be helpful for mild cases. A CPAP machine is often considered a first-line treatment.

Is sleep apnea a disability?

No, the Social Security Administration does not recognize or consider sleep apnea a disability. However, when other symptoms that stem from sleep apnea become severe, you may meet eligibility standards for something else.

Is obstructive sleep apnea worse than sleep apnea?

Central sleep apnea (CSA), also known as sleep apnea, is less common than obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) yet just as dangerous. The severity is measured using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). This index rates the average number of obstructive events per hour during sleep (less than 5 per hour is normal; more than 30 per hour is severe).

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