Are you tired at work? Tend to fall asleep in front ofthe computer? Or worse, fall asleep at the wheel?All of this can significantly affect the quality of your workand business. If the answer to any of these questions is ‘Yes,’you probably have obstructive sleep apnea or OSAS. Theirony is that this syndrome is one of the most commonlymissed diagnoses. This is surprising as research indicatesthat about six million Americans suffer from sleep apnea.
OSAS can have many affects on your body: depression,hypertension, irritability, generalized tiredness, cramps,headaches and heart attacks. It may seem hard that lack ofsleep can cause all of these signs and symptoms.
Understanding sleep apnea makes it easy to understandhow it can affect so many aspects of your life. OSAS is essentiallya blockage of the airway during sleep. As you fallasleep, the airway becomes obstructed. Initially, peopletend to toss and turn as the mind tells the body there’ssomething wrong. When the obstruction does not becomerelieved, chemicals are sent from the brain to stimulate thebody, similar to the classic “fight or flight.” These chemicalsstimulate the heart to beat faster in preparation forsomething bad. Unfortunately the body is getting less oxygenfrom not breathing and this puts additional stress onthe heart. Heart arrhythmias are common in patients withsleep apnea. In some cases, people get heart attacks as aresult of this situation.
In a last ditch effort to protect the body, the brain wakesyou up from sleep. A person generally gasps for air andfalls back asleep. If you are away for more than severalseconds, you tend to fully awaken. Once awake, peoplegenerally rationalize disrupted sleep with possible need toquench their dry throats or go to the restroom. Waking upfor fewer than several seconds may not allow one to remembergasping for air.
Each of these arousalsor awakenings disruptsthe sleep cycle. The degreeof your sleep apneacan be measured ina sleep laboratory during a night. A sleep study, polysomnography,measures various body systems, oxygen level,heart rhythm, movement of your chest, your brain waves,etc. The results of the test can tell if you have sleep apneaand if so to what degree: mild, moderate, or severe. Patientswith severe sleep apnea do not go more than two minuteswithout either disturbing their sleep cycle, waking up ordangerously dropping their oxygen levels. It is no wonderthat they start their day feeling exhausted.
While there are many treatments for sleep apnea, themost common cause is being overweight. The weight pusheson the chest and makes it difficult to breath during thenight. Weight loss is the best long term solution for mostpeople. Other causes of sleep apnea can include a lowerjaw that is deficient or set back. This predisposes one tosleep apnea.
Non–surgical treatments, other than weight loss includewearing a CPAP machine. This device forces air through atube to a mask attached to your face. The air, under pressure,pushes past your obstruction and gets air into yourlungs. Dental appliances can help patients who have mildor moderate sleep apnea. These hold the lower jaw forward,indirectly pulling the tongue forward, opening the airway.Many of these non–surgical appliances are difficult to useand not tolerated well by patients.
Surgical treatments include trimming the uvula thathangs in the back of the throat and moving the jaws forward.Treatment of the uvula, uvuloplasty, generally decreasessnoring, but may not help sleep apnea. The obstructiontends to be caused by the tongue falling backwards. Jawsurgery to move the lower and upper jaw forward worksvery well until a patient gains more weight.
Sleep apnea can have significant effects on one’s abilityto work and interact with others. If you think you may havesleep apnea, see a sleep expert to help you diagnose andtreat your condition. A good night’s sleep just might makethe difference in today’s challenging business world!
