Learning About Sleep Apnea

Find out about the symptoms of sleep apnea and other breathing disorders this with.

Sleep apnea

What is sleep apnea ?

Types of sleep apnea

Common symptoms of sleep apnea

Living with sleep apnea treatment can be an adjustment. And if you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea but haven’t yet begun therapy, you probably have some questions about how your life will change and how it may affect your day-to-day activities and relationships.

Diagnostic

Find out if you need to do a sleep study, either at home or in a sleep clinic. If you have trouble sleeping, snore (or your partner says that you do), or suspect that you have sleep apnea, it’s important to take those signs seriously and see your doctor. Clinicians have a variety of diagnostic procedures to choose from, ranging from at-home to in-hospital studies which include an evaluation of sleep breathing. Regardless of which diagnostic test is used, a clinical history of sleep apnea and a consultation with a sleep specialist are integral to the diagnosis.

Treatment

Find out about how you can adjust to sleep apnea treatment. Living with sleep apnea treatment can be an adjustment. And if you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea but haven’t yet begun therapy, you probably have some questions about how your life will change and how it may affect your day-to-day activities and relationships. Today, living with sleep apnea has never been easier. ResMed’s sleep apnea treatment products are designed to be comfortable and easy to use – they’re light and low-profile, so you’ll barely even notice them. We’re constantly working on innovating sleep medicine to ensure that living with sleep apnea doesn’t interfere with your lifestyle or relationships. Getting treatment for sleep apnea and following your doctor’s advice can help you and your family members improve your quality of life. Treatment should reduce snoring and improve the quality of sleep and help you feel rested and more energetic during the day.

Treatment Options

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) provides one constant air pressure hroughout the night.
Automatic Positive Airway Pressure (APAP) therapy automatically varies the pressure throughout the night. It automatically responds to changing dynamics of the upper airway.
Bi-level therapy is used in the circumstance where a higher pressure is required for effective therapy and so in order to facilitate exhalation, a lower expiratory pressure is provided

What is sleep apnea ?

Find out exactly what is meant by “sleep apnea, and what happens to your body while you’re having an apnea. When you have an apnea, air stops flowing to your lungs for 10 seconds or longer. A control centre in your brain triggers you to wake up just enough to take a breath. Then you fall back to sleep and the cycle begins again. In some people this can happen over 50 times every hour.

f you’ve tried improving your sleep, but still snore or wake up feeling tired, you may have a common sleep disorder called sleep apnea. What is sleep apnea? apnea literally means “no breath” or “stopping breathing”. When you have an apnea, air stops flowing to your lungs for 10 seconds or longer – that is, you actually stop breathing. Sensing you have stopped breathing, a control centre in your brain triggers you to wake up just enough to start breathing again. Then you fall back to sleep and the cycle begins again. This can happen more than 50 times every hour, even though you may not remember waking up. As you can imagine, constantly being triggered back into breathing-hour after hour, night after night, may put a strain on your body. sleep apnea affects more than 3 in 10 men and nearly 1 in 5 women, so it’s more common than you might think.1 Getting treatment for sleep apnea and following your doctor’s advice can help you and your family members improve your quality of life. Treatment should reduce snoring and improve the quality of sleep for your bed partner too, and help you feel rested and more energetic during the day.

Helpful tips for a good night’s sleep

Try improving your sleep by following these simple tips.

The DOs:

Do create consistent sleep habits. Get your body used to going to bed and waking up at the same time every day and you’ll find it easier to fall asleep every night.
Do understand your personal sleep needs. Getting a good night’s sleep means at least six and ideally as many as nine hours of sleep each night.
Do spend time in natural light. Natural light gives your body melatonin, a hormone that tells your body when to sleep and when to wake up.
Do create a comfortable sleep environment. Make sure your bedroom is cool, quiet and comfortab

What should I do if I suspect a problem?

If you’re too tired and don’t have the energy to do the things you love, there might be more to the story. Learn more about sleeping disorders here. sleep apnea affects more than 3 in 10 men and nearly 1 in 5 women.1 If you think you’re not sleeping well or not feeling your best it’s important to consult your doctor.

Types of sleep apnea

There are three main types of sleep apnea:

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
Central sleep apnea (CSA)
Mixed sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea, making up 84% of sleep apnea diagnoses.1

In most cases of obstructive sleep apnea, air stops flowing to the lungs because of a blockage (or obstruction) in the upper airway-that is, in the nose or throat. The upper airway could become blocked due to: the muscles relaxing too much during sleep, which blocks sufficient air from getting through* the weight of your neck narrowing the airway inflamed tonsils, or other temporary reasons structural reasons, like the shape of the nose, neck or jaw * This narrow airway causes a vibration in your throat, which creates the sound of snoring.

Central sleep apnea (CSA)

Central sleep apnea (CSA) is the least prevalent type of sleep apnea.1 In some cases, the airway is actually open but air stops flowing to the lungs because no effort is made to breathe. This is because the communication between the brain and the body has been lost, so the automatic action of breathing stops. Those with CSA don’t often snore, so the condition sometimes goes unnoticed.

Mixed sleep apnea

This is a mixture of both obstructive sleep apnea OSA (where there is a blockage or obstruction in the upper airway) and CSA (where no effort is made to breathe). Your doctor can help you understand more about this if you need to. If you have any concerns that you may have any type of sleep apnea, please consult your doctor.

Common symptoms of sleep apnea

The first and most common sign of sleep apnea is usually observed by your loved ones: snoring. They might also tell you that you make gasping or choking sounds while you’re asleep. You might notice some other symptoms common to the different types of sleep apnea, such as:
constant tiredness
poor concentration
morning headaches
depressed mood
night sweats
weight gain
lack of energy
forgetfulness
sexual dysfunction
frequent urination at night1
Remember, these symptoms may not always relate to sleep apnea, so please discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor to ensure that an accurate diagnosis is made.

The good news

It’s important to take sleep apnea seriously.
But the good news is there is a treatment for it, and most people experience a whole range of benefits from being treated: By treating your sleep apnea, you may help to lower the associated risks and improve your overall health.1 Untreated sleep apnea is also associated with symptoms including dizziness, , shortness of breath and chest discomfort, which may be reduced when your sleep apnea is treated.2-3 People with sleep apnea can become too tired to exercise, making some of their underlying conditions worse. Obese people being treated for their sleep apnea gain more energy, which may then help them exercise and lose weight.4 And weight loss has been shown to improve sleep apnea for some people.5 Treating your sleep apnea when you are recovering from a major illness may combat your fatigue, so you have the motivation to follow a rehabilitation program. In many cases, treatment has been shown to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea, such as daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, reduced memory and concentration, and reduced quality of life (especially in the areas of work performance and family relationships).6 If you suspect you might have sleep apnea, you’re only a few steps away from a better night’s sleep and feeling like yourself again. Go see your doctor or take our simple quiz first to see if you might be at risk.