Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Facts

Facts to Know about Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. To date, researchers and healthcare professionals have not come to a single conclusion about the exact cause. The soft palate is the most affected region of obstruction for individuals having obstructive sleep apnea. It occurs as a result of muscle relaxation to a certain degree when the air passage gets fully collapsed and turns out to be obstructed.

The Cycle of Sleeping Disruption

Since the air passage collapsed, breathing ceases and the individual wakes up as a result of an obstructed air passage. This waking up lasts for few seconds and then the individual sleeps again. This persistent disruption averts the individual from reaching the deep sleep level, that is, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) level sleep, which our body desperately needs in order to become rejuvenated and to fight off different adverse psychological and physical health conditions.

Potential Risk Factors

Needless to say, obesity and being overweight, take many tolls on people’s lives. Obstructive sleep apnea is no exception and the most essential cause is being overweight or obese. It occurs because excessive buildup of fat on both sides of the air passage makes it narrow, especially when the muscles release. Another important risk factor of obstructive sleep apnea is age. It is mainly due to the fact that aging contributes to a decrease of muscle mass.

Signs, Symptoms and Complications

The major signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea stem from disturbance in the normal sleep pattern. The recurrent arousal and inability to reach deep sleep, may lead to daytime sleepiness, irritation, anxiety, changes in personality and behavior, memory impairment, depression and many other problems. It also contributes to drowsy drive syndrome, which results in an increasing risk of automobile accidents. Lack of oxygen supply puts serious threat over the cardiovascular system and increases the risk of congestive heart failure and stroke.

Available Treatment Methods

There is a wide variety of treatment methods available to treat obstructive sleep apnea. The first includes weight reduction. It can be followed by positive pressure therapy, positional therapy, surgical interventions and using oral appliances. The positive pressure therapy has three components, namely, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP) and auto titration. Positional therapy is based on the assumption that specific positioning may free the patient from snoring or shortness of breath.