Common Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea is a debilitating and oftentimes life-threatening disorder characterized by breathing cessation during slumber. Apnea literally means to stop breathing. In sleep apnea sufferers, breathing can cease for just a few seconds or last for minutes. The first signs of sleep apnea are usually noticed by family members and include snoring and gagging.

Sleep apnea sufferers are usually tired all day, complain of headaches, and wake with sore throats. It reduces the amount of quality sleep the body gets. Quality sleep is needed for the body and brain to recoup from the days activities. The most dangerous symptom is respiration cessation. This symptom can lead to death.

The causes of sleep apnea vary from person to person. Some reasons include anatomy, obesity, or the brains failure to transmit signals effectively. The throat relaxes and collapses, prohibiting air from entering the lungs. There are some studies that show a possible hereditary link. If a loved one has sleep apnea and you have difficulty breathing at night, you may have sleep apnea also.

There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and complex. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the tongue blocking the airway while sleeping. The brain doesn't send the proper signals to breath in Central sleep apnea. Complex sleep apnea is a combination of both Obstructive and Central.

Sleep apnea is initially suspected by either a family member or a family physician. The patient will complain of lack of good sleep, waking several times a night, and headaches. The only true test of sleep apnea is a sleep study test. The sleep test is an overnight monitoring of sleep activities and involves nocturnal polysomnography, oximetry, and portable cardiorespiratory testing.

There are several effective treatments for sleep apnea. A patient may be sent to an ear, nose, and throat doctor to rule out oral structural issues. surgery may correct the sleep apnea if the structural components of the oral cavity can be manipulated as to not obstruct the airway.

CPAP is one of the most widely used treatments. CPAP is a continuous positive airway pressure machine. The patient wears a special mask over the nose or nose and mouth. Air is constantly blown in, creating a splint in order to keep the airway open. CPAP is well tolerated by most people.

The outcome of sleep apnea sufferers is excellent if diagnosed properly and treatment plans are adhered to by the patient. If you or someone you know is possibly suffering from sleep apnea, get checked immediately. This is a very serious disorder.

What is a Sleep Study for Apnea?

When sleep deprivation is suspected, your doctor will want to order a sleep study to test for apnea or other sleep disorders. The sleep study takes a comprehensive look at your sleep dynamics. Some of the things it measures are how long it takes you to get to sleep, how many times you wake during the night, the quality of your sleep, and blood oxygen levels during sleep.

There are three common types of sleep studies:

Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) - There are two versions of this test. The daytime one tests for narcolepsy by measuring the degree of sleepiness during the daytime. The nighttime test measures how long it takes for someone to fall asleep.

Multiple Wake Test (MWT) - Measures if you can stay awake during normal activities when a person would be expected to remain awake.

Polysomnogram (PSG) - This is general evaluation and monitoring. There are two versions. One version is a two night test. The first night includes monitoring of sleep activities. The second night is to find proper corrections for problems found on the first night. The second type of PSG is the split night. The first half of the test is monitoring and recording, the second half is finding proper corrections especially during a sleep study for apnea.

Sleep studies look for the severity of apnea events. How long they last and how often they happen are important to assess. Airflow drops are considered apnea events. 5-15 apnea events an hour is considered mild sleep apnea. Moderate sleep apnea is 15-30 events an hour. Severe apnea is 30 or more an hour. The other way to diagnose the severity of sleep apnea involves assessing when sleepiness occurs and how often. This method is accurate, but subjective to provided information.

Brain waves are measured during a sleep study for apnea. There are four different types recorded during the study - alpha, beta, delta, and theta. Each one represents a different sleep stage. The study will measure the amount of time spent in each stage of sleep. A typical nights sleep will include a progression through the four different stages of sleep, then 60-90 minutes of REM sleep. This cycle is normally repeated around four times a night. Any deviation in this cycle can result in sleep deprivation issues.

Blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates are recorded. It is not unusual to see blood pressure spikes as high as 220/130 during a sleep study for apnea. As an apneic event happen and the blood vessels constrict, the heart will race and cause pounding against the narrowed vessels thus increasing blood pressure. After breathing resumes, respirations are increased in an effort to restore normal oxygen levels. This can have a devastating effect on overall health if it continuously happens over a period of time.

Sleep tests are crucial when sleep disorders such as sleep apnea are suspected. They will record valuable information that will be used in diagnosis and treatment plans. The tests are performed by trained sleep technicians and the results are read by an experienced doctor specializing in sleep disorders. Sleep studies for apnea may include same night treatment for severe cases. This is one test you will want to make every effort not to miss.

Important: The information presented on this page and other pages on this site is based upon the opinions of the author and on the author's interpretation of published reports and articles. It is not intended to replace your relationship with a qualified health care professional, and is not intended as medical advice.

The author encourages you to make your own health care decisions in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

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