SLEEP APNEA IS A SLEEP DISORDER characterized by interruptions in breathing during sleep. It is a common condition where breathing stops and starts repeatedly, leading to poor sleep quality and various health problems. Today, I offer a sleep apnea myths versus facts quiz.
There are three types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This apnea type is the most common type of sleep apnea, occurring when the muscles at the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open, despite the effort to breathe. This results in loud snoring, followed by a sudden stop in breathing, which can last from a few seconds to minutes until the brain senses the drop in oxygen levels and wakes the person up to breathe again.
- Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). This apnea type is less common than OSA and occurs when the brain fails to signal the muscles responsible for breathing.
- Complex or Mixed Sleep Apnea. This apnea type combines both OSA and CSA.
Sleep apnea symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat, daytime sleepiness, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Treatment options include lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and quitting smoking, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, or surgery in severe cases.
Let’s get to our myths versus facts quiz:
1. Sleep Apnea Is Just Snoring
Myth. Snoring can be a symptom of a sleep disorder. Sleep apnea involves an individual stopping breathing up to 400 times each night. These interruptions span 10 to 30 seconds, often followed by a snort before breathing resumes. Unfortunately, this wrecks the sleep cycle, leading to generalized daytime fatigue and elevations of significant health risks.
Sleep apnea-related problems include hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, heart disease, brain damage (in structures affecting mood, memory, and blood pressure), diabetes, depression, obesity, and premature death. Sleep apnea is about much more than snoring.
2. Losing Weight Can Improve Sleep Apnea
Fact. Weight loss can improve sleep apnea, particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a sleep disorder in which the upper airway becomes partially or completely blocked during sleep, leading to pauses in breathing or shallow breathing.
Excess weight, particularly around the neck and throat, can increase the likelihood of OSA. Too much weight is a significant risk factor for OSA. We have increasing evidence suggesting the relationship is reciprocal.
Losing weight can help reduce the amount of tissue in the throat, making it less likely to collapse and block the airway during sleep. Studies have shown that even a moderate amount of weight loss, such as 10 percent of body weight, can significantly improve OSA symptoms, including reducing the number of breathing pauses during sleep, improving oxygen levels, and reducing daytime sleepiness.
In addition to weight loss, other lifestyle changes may also help improve sleep apnea symptoms, such as avoiding alcohol and sedatives before bed, sleeping on your side, and quitting smoking.
However, it’s important to talk to your doctor if you think you have sleep apnea, as untreated sleep apnea can lead to other health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
You might improve sleep apnea symptoms by shedding even a small amount of weight. If you are overweight or obese, please talk to your healthcare provider about initiating a weight loss program. Smoking cessation can be valuable, too, so ask about treatments that can help.
The Sleep Foundation offers that, regardless of technique, obstructive sleep apnea improvement is proportional to weight loss. Your clinician can help you develop a weight loss strategy tailored to your circumstances, including apnea severity and overall health.
3. Lying on Your Side Can Help
Fact. Both obstructive and central sleep apnea can be associated with sleeping on one’s back. Sleeping on your back allows gravity to pull throat tissues down, leading to airway obstruction and obstructive sleep apnea.
More than half of people with obstructive sleep apnea experience more severe symptoms when they sleep on their back. Sleeping on your side (optimally, the right) may open your throat. Some individuals benefit from “pregnancy” pillows.
Experts hypothesize that sleeping position may affect breathing in central sleep apnea by changing the amount of space available in the lungs and the relay of signals between the brain and body controlling your breathing rate. However, the positive effects of side sleeping are generally greater for obstructive than central sleep apnea.
Best Sleeping Position for Sleep Apnea | Sleep Foundation
Both OSA and CSA can be linked to people sleeping on their backs. www.sleepfoundation.org.
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The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
Thank you for reading “Sleep Apnea: Myths versus Facts.”
