Sleep Apnea

Addressing Sleep Challenges for a Better Life

Sleep apnea is common among various kinds of people. It is a disorder that significantly lowers the quality of sleep and life overall.

If you struggle to get an adequate amount of sleep, you might want to consider whether you have sleep apnea and consult with your doctor.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and continues while the individual is asleep. Your brain wakes you up intending to protect you. It is a survival reflex that is caused by the lack of oxygen and your sleep is interrupted continuously which results in your inability to have a healthy sleep. You keep on breathing after you wake up but do not have restful sleep.

During sleep apnea, a loosening occurs in the muscles that ensure your upper respiratory stay open. Then your tongue base, velum, or overly grown tonsils occlude your breathing line. As a result of this action, sleep apnea patients end up breathless for at least 10 seconds. This congestion in sleep apnea happens frequently while sleeping.

Types of sleep apnea

Sleep apnea types can be listed as follows:

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): This is the most common type of sleep apnea. In this condition, throat muscles block the flow of air that goes into the lungs by relaxing too much. Obesity, large tonsils, or changes in hormone levels might cause this.

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): This is the most common type of sleep apnea. In this condition, throat muscles block the flow of air that goes into the lungs by relaxing too much. Obesity, large tonsils, or changes in hormone levels might cause this.

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Central sleep apnea (CSA): In this type of sleep apnea, the brain doesn’t send signals to the muscles about controlling the breath. Since the brain doesn’t end up sending the right signals, patients have trouble breathing.

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Treatment-emergent central sleep apnea: It is also known as complex sleep apnea. When the individual converts into CSA while getting therapy for OSA.

What causes sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea happens due to various causes including having large tonsils or adenoids, sleeping on your back and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but in general, OSA and CSA have different causes.

Obstructive sleep apnea causes

There can be many reasons why someone suffers from OSA and these include the following:

Thick neck circumference and narrower airways.
Use of sedatives, alcoholism, or tranquilizers.
Having sleep apnea in the family’s medical history.
Smoking.
Nasal congestion due to an anatomical problem or allergies.
Medical conditions like heart failure, hormonal disorders like PCOS, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
Obesity since excess weight leads to fat deposits around the upper airway and can prevent breathing.

Central sleep apnea causes

Some of the reasons for CSA are:

Treating OSA with CPAP initially.
Nervous system conditions.
Low blood oxygen levels (hypoxia)
Nervous system damage especially in the brainstem or spinal cord parts.
Haing had a stroke.
Heart disorders like heart failure
Use of narcotic pain medicines.
Taking opioid pain medications.
Living at high altitudes.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

How one can understand if they experience sleep apnea? You might want to consult with your doctor if you have the following specific symptoms:

Loud snoring.
Waking up with a dry mouth.
Gasping for air during sleep.
Waking up feeling short of breath.
Stopping breathing during sleep.
Insomnia.
Experiencing headache in the morning.
Struggling to have uninterrupted sleep.
Excessive amount of hypersomnia namely daytime sleepiness.
Feeling tired when waking up.
Brain function disruptions such as having trouble focusing and memory loss.
Unusual breathing patterns.
Mood changes including depression and anxiety.

So, to answer commonly asked questions about sleep apnea symptoms:

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Can sleep apnea cause high blood pressure?

Yes. Sleep apnea might cause hypertension namely high blood pressure because of the sudden drops of oxygen levels in the blood.

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Can sleep apnea cause weight gain?

Yes, sleep apnea can cause weight gain since it affects mood changes and hormonal changes that end up with increased appetite.

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Can sleep apnea cause headaches?

Yes. Some of the patients wake up with headaches in the morning due to sleep apnea.

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Can sleep apnea cause anxiety?

Yes. Sleep apnea can shift mood and cause depression and/or anxiety.

Is sleep apnea dangerous?

Sleep apnea is considered to be a serious condition since it can cause many other complications. Some of the complications that sleep apnea might bring about are:

Type 2 diabetes
Metabolic syndrome
High blood pressure
Heart problems
Liver problems

Additionally, constant fatigue due to not being able to have a good sleep might lead the patients to have trouble driving and end up in terrible accidents.
So it is crucial to keep your sleep apnea under control at all times.

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How sleep apnea is diagnosed?

While diagnosing sleep apnea, a sleep study is required for both OSA and CSA. Sleep apnea test types are:

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Nocturnal polysomnography in which the patient is examined with equipment that monitors their breathing movements, and blood oxygen levels with heart, lung, and brain activity. For this test, patients should stay overnight at the hospital. If CSA is suspected, this type of test is preferred.

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Home sleep tests are simple tests in which the patients monitor their blood oxygen level, airflow, heart rate, and breathing patterns at home.

Sleep apnea treatment

Well then, does sleep apnea go away? Unfortunately, it does not go away completely but the symptoms can be treated with various methods that include the following:

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Nasal sprays,

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Adhesive strips,

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Medications,

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Nerve stimulators,

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Oral appliances,

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Weight loss.

Additionally, your doctor might decide to use other devices such as continuous positive airway pressure. CPAP is a machine that delivers air pressure through a mask to help people while they are sleeping. This is the most common and reliable method of treating sleep apnea.

However, OSA and CSA might require different treatments including surgery.

Obstructive sleep apnea treatment

Obstructive sleep apnea sufferers might get treatment with sleep apnea surgery including:

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Tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy is a sleep apnea operation that involves removing adenoids and tonsils to widen the opening where nasal passages, mouth, and throat connect. Moreover, makes the air pass through and provides greater sleep

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Somnoplasty is another operation of sleep apnea in which radiofrequency reduces soft tissue around the windpipe’s upper parts.

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Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is the removal of the uvula and makes it easier to breathe.

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A tracheostomy is used to create a new airway to increase breathing.

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Jaw repositioning can also be considered to treat sleep apnea which is caused by structural symptoms.

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Using an implant for sleep apnea is also a choice commonly preferred. For the treatment of sleep apnea, Inspire is an implant choice that is a non-surgical method.

Central sleep apnea treatment

Although CSA might be caused by something else, if the symptoms of CSA are severe, it should be treated and further examinations should be conducted to identify the underlying condition. The treatment process can include the following besides the use of medication:

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PAP devices to provide steady breathing while sleeping.

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Supplemental oxygen therapy is also another central sleep apnea operation.

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Adaptive servo-ventilation is an airflow device that helps the patients keep their typical breathing pattern.

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Why should you choose Turkey for sleep apnea treatment?

As a popular destination for medical operations, Turkey is a good option for those seeking sleep apnea treatment.

Sleep apnea treatments are more affordable in Turkey compared the other developed countries. Besides providing high-quality healthcare services at low prices, Turkey is also a place where the patients are welcomed by a friendly-environment and highly skilled doctors.

FAQ

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Can sleep apnea kill you?

Sleep apnea can't kill you since your brain automatically wakes you up to continue breathing.

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Can sleep apnea be cured?

Unfortunately, sleep apnea cannot be cured but its symptoms can be relieved.

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Is sleep apnea a disability?

No, sleep apnea is not recognized as a disability.

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Will sleep apnea cause high blood pressure?