Sleep apnea is a disorder that can cause dangerous situations by interrupting breathing with repeated seizures during sleep. Snoring and shortness of breath during sleep cause not getting enough rest and waking up tired. It can be life-threatening if left untreated. It may play a role in the occurrence of type 2 diabetes, stroke or some important heart diseases.
How Does Sleep Apnea Happen?
The cause of sleep apnea is snoring. In people with this disease, respiratory muscle relaxation becomes more pronounced during sleep and the airways may not be kept sufficiently open. As a result, breathing becomes difficult, the oxygen level in the blood decreases, and oxygen absorption in the tissues becomes insufficient. The oxygen level returns to normal only after waking up. The reason for waking up is that the brain signals that breathing has stopped.
Sleep apnea problem often causes irregular night sleep. However, when this situation becomes routine, the person may not remember it the next morning. Sleep disruptions sometimes cause fatigue and weakness. Sleep apnea syndrome should be examined in people who are sluggish and sleepy during the day despite the idea that they sleep for a long time. It is known that if necessary precautions are not taken, it causes dizziness and attention deficit, resulting in traffic accidents or work accidents.
Causes of Sleep Apnea
The causes of sleep apnea vary depending on the type of disease. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs as a result of relaxation of the muscles in the back of the throat. Excess weight, thick neck, narrow airways, sleeping pills or sedatives, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and nasal obstruction for various reasons are the causes of obstructive sleep apnea.
Central sleep apnea, more rarely, occurs as a result of the signals sent from the brain to the respiratory muscles not being transmitted correctly. In this type of apnea, where the person’s respiratory functions do not work for a short time, people wake up from their sleep due to not being able to breathe. Causes of central sleep apnea include brain tissue infection, brainstem problems, cerebral palsy, heart disease, and use of narcotic pain medications.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Before moving on to sleep apnea symptoms and treatment, explaining the different types of sleep apnea will make it easier to understand the disease.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is the name given to blockages that occur as a result of loss of function of the airways. Waking up from sleep due to insufficient oxygen and blockage is common. The body responds to this situation with snoring and noisy breathing.
Central Sleep Apnea
Central sleep apnea is a breathing blockage that occurs as a result of the brain’s inability to adequately send the necessary signal to the muscles in the respiratory tract. Breathing becomes completely impossible and oxygen intake is negatively affected.
Mixed Sleep Apnea
Mixed sleep apnea is the condition in which the two types of sleep apnea mentioned above occur simultaneously in a single person.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Symptoms are similar in obstructive and central sleep apnea, which are types of sleep apnea. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention when making a diagnosis. Since there are different species, treatment methods should be determined accordingly. Sleep apnea symptoms can occur in people of all ages and can affect people in different ways.
- Loud snoring
- Dry mouth in the morning
- Sore throat in the morning
- Attacks of respiratory arrest during sleep
- Inability to wake up refreshed and sleepy during the day
- Feeling tired
- Morning headaches and irritability
- Lack of concentration and attention problems
- Sudden awakenings and restlessness during sleep
- Memory problems
- Depressed mood and restlessness
- Hypertension
- Reflux
- Heart rhythm disorder
- Difficulty breathing
- Choking cough
- Excessive sweating
- Frequent urination at night
Not treating snoring and sleep apnea, especially in children, is a major obstacle to focusing on daily life and making friends. It is important to be able to intervene in the process at the right moment by checking it every night.
Factors That Cause Sleep Apnea
Factors that increase the risk of sleep apnea can be listed as follows:
- Overstretching of throat muscles
- Stenosis in the upper respiratory tract
- Respiratory damage due to upper airway stenosis
- Overweight
- Tonsils larger than normal
- Adenoid
Sleep apnea problem can be seen not only in adults but also in children. Sleep apnea treatment varies depending on the age of people.
Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Methods
Sleep apnea diagnostic methods begin with a physical examination and listening to the patient’s history. The doctor tries to detect the symptoms of the disease through the patient’s history. Then he performs a general examination of the respiratory tract.
The respiratory tract is checked by imaging with a device that has a small camera on its tip. Thus, if there is narrowing or loosening, it is detected immediately. MRI can also be performed according to the doctor’s request.
After general examination, respiratory tract control and MRI, a sleep apnea test is performed if necessary. Sleep test is the most important test in the diagnosis and treatment process.
A sleep test, also called polysomnography, is a test in which all the patient’s brain activity and breathing are recorded throughout the night.
In the sleep laboratory, the patient’s sleep is monitored with electrodes placed on the patient’s body, thus determining both the diagnosis and the type of the disease. Thanks to this test, the duration and number of respiratory arrests can be determined. In addition, information such as snoring sound intensity, heart rhythm or blood oxygen percentage is also collected. The activity of many organ systems can be evaluated by polysomnography: brain waves can be observed with electroencephalography, muscle activity and eye movements with electromyography, heart rate and blood flow, measurement of arterial oxygen level and rhythm and blood analysis can also be observed with pulse oximetry.
Until the morning, with the body signals received from the person during the test,
- How many times does he breathe while sleeping?
- How long has it been closed?
- What are the oxygen values?
- How often heart rate is affected
It is detected and transferred to the computer environment with the help of a special medical mechanism.
During the EMG performed for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, two electrodes are placed on the chin. One of these electrodes is positioned above the jaw line and the other below the line. EMG electrodes record the electrical activity that occurs during muscle movements. It is normal for muscles to relax some during sleep. Abnormal activities can be detected with EMG. Polysomnography plays an important role in the diagnosis of central sleep apnea as well as in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. In addition to this examination, structural abnormalities that may cause central apnea can be detected with the help of magnetic resonance imaging.
Treatment Methods for Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea treatment varies depending on the type, depth and characteristics of the person’s respiratory tract. The first thing to do in planning the treatment of this disease is to get rid of excess weight. In addition, smoking and alcohol consumption should also be stopped.
The main method used to treat sleep apnea is the use of a CPAP sleep apnea device that delivers positive air pressure. A mask connected to this device is worn and the compressed air determined by the doctor is delivered to the patient. This device prevents apnea by keeping the airways constantly open during sleep. CPAP can improve almost all sleep symptoms in adults.
In addition to CPAP, devices that provide two-level positive air pressure called BPAP are also used in the treatment of obstructive apnea. In BPAP devices, air pressure is adjusted according to the person’s breathing.
Surgical treatment of sleep apnea is recommended only for a small group of patients. In cases where positive results cannot be obtained with the above options in sleep apnea or in cases where throat structures block the airways, an operation involving the reduction or elimination of tissues can be planned. It is especially considered in patients with facial disorders and abnormal throat structure. The disease may reoccur some time after the surgery, and the disappearance of snoring after the surgery may not mean that the disease is gone.
After starting the treatment method, breathing will improve, sleep will also be regulated and the person will start to live a healthier life. He gets rid of his aggressive mood completely.