Sleep apnea is a disorder mainly characterized by unusual breathing patterns while sleeping. Individuals suffering from sleep repeatedly experience pauses or reductions in their breathing for short intervals while sleeping. However, these pauses can cause an individual to awaken periodically and lower sleep quality. Sleepers might not fully awake and remain unaware that their nighttime breathing is abnormal.
Sleep apnea symptoms include daytime sleepiness and loud snoring. The breathing interruptions can reduce the quality of your sleep and, if left untreated, could have severe health consequences. It is crucial to consult a physician if you suspect you may be suffering from sleep apnea to receive the necessary testing and treatment. Read on to learn more.
Defining Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that leads you to stop breathing while asleep.
When you breathe, air passes via your nose, where the nose moistens, warms, and filters it before traveling to your lungs. The oxygen in the air enters the bloodstream through your lungs and into different parts of the body.
When you sleep, all your body muscles relax, causing narrowing. This could result in reduced airflow and challenges in breathing for some individuals, which could lead to irregular breathing and snoring.
When your breathing is reduced or interrupted, you might experience reduced oxygen levels. Brain sensors will tell your body to increase or restart breathing, and you will wake up briefly. Typically, breathing restarts with a snort or gasp, returning the breathing and airway to normal and permitting you to sleep again. If the condition is severe, the cycle can happen several times every night, reducing your sleep quality.
Sleep testing tracks how often your breathing pauses or stops as you sleep. Depending on the number of these episodes you experience per hour, your physician can diagnose you with any of the following:
- Mild sleep apnea — The doctor could diagnose you with mild sleep apnea if you experience an average of five to fifteen episodes per hour.
- Moderate sleep apnea — You have between fifteen and 39 episodes every hour.
- Severe sleep apnea —You experience thirty (30) episodes each hour.
Sleep Apnea Risk Factors
The sleep apnea condition can impact anyone, but factors that could increase your risk of sleep apnea include the following:
- Having excessive weight
- Advanced age
- Being a male
- An inherited narrow airway
- An airway that becomes narrow due to oversized adenoids or tonsils
- Using sedatives or tranquilizers and alcohol
- Smoking
- Nasal congestion
- Health conditions like congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, hypertension, a prior stroke, hormonal disorders, or lung diseases
- A family history of sleep apnea
- A huge neck circumference can cause your airways to become more narrow
Types of Sleep Apnea
Different forms of sleep apnea include the following:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that causes a decrease or cessation of airflow when breathing in oxygen. The disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep.
Here are the common signs and symptoms of OSA:
- Snoring loudly that consists of choking or gasping sounds
- Dry mouth
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Morning headaches that may persist for many hours when you wake up
- Restless sleep involving intervals of staying awake at night
- Reduced focus
- Frustration or irritability
- Frequent urge to wake up and urinate
Some signs of OSA might not be noticeable immediately to the individual suffering the condition. For instance, abnormal breathing and snoring are only evident to the individual through an observation by their bed partner.
Other health problems can also cause many OSA symptoms. Therefore, you should consult your physician for an accurate diagnosis.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)
CSA is a health condition that causes your breathing to stop and restart repeatedly during sleeping. Sometimes, breathing is shallow. CSA occurs due to the brain not sending appropriate signals to the muscles that regulate breathing.
Pre-existing medical conditions primarily cause CSA. During a CSA episode, your brain fails to inform the breathing muscles that they should work as they should.
Health conditions that impact your brain stem, heart, or heart could result in CSA. These medical conditions are as follows:
- Heart attacks
- Stroke
- Arthritis around the cervical spine
- Radiation or surgery treatments in your spine
- Congestive heart failure
- Parkinson’s disease or age-connected deterioration of specific nerve functions that impact your balance, movement, or muscle control
- Encephalitis
- A weak breathing pattern is known as Cheyne-Stokes breathing
Some medications could also cause CSA, which is referred to as drug-induced apnea. For instance, opioid narcotics are powerful pain relievers that could cause irregular breathing patterns. The drugs can temporarily halt breathing due to this irregular sequence.
Some of the ways to know you have central sleep apnea can include the following:
- Loud, excessive snoring that could cause you to gasp for air
- Daytime sleepiness
- Chronic fatigue
- Restless sleep
- Morning headaches
- Voice changes
- Difficulty swallowing
- Experiencing weakness and numbness
Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
First, your doctor can evaluate you based on your signs and symptoms and sleep history, which could be provided by a person with whom you share your household or bed. Next, the physician could refer you to a sleep disorder center, where the doctor will determine whether you require further evaluation.
One test your doctor will administer is a comprehensive sleep study called polysomnography (PSG). The test determines whether the breathing lapses are due to any airway blockage or irregular signals from your brain. The multi-component test electronically records and sends specific physical activities as you sleep. A trained sleep expert analyzes the recording to determine whether you suffer from sleep apnea.
On the night of the sleep study, your doctor will assign you to a private room near a central monitoring region, where specialists will monitor you. Your physician will advise you to continue taking your medication or stop before your test. Do not drink alcohol or caffeine on your test day; they could interfere with your results.
Other exams and tests your doctor could use include the following:
- Lung function testing to rule out other health conditions
- Electrocardiogram to monitor your heart
- Electrooculogram to record your eyes’ movements (The movements help determine your various sleep stages)
- Blood tests, like arterial blood gas levels
- An MRI of your brain, neck, and spine to identify any structural challenges
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
If left untreated, sleep apnea can result in numerous life-threatening or severe complications, including the following:
- Heart failure or heart damage — Sleep apnea can cause increased pressure in your blood vessels near your heart and some heart chambers. The pressure strains the heart, damaging your heart muscle.
- Sudden cardiac death
- Arrhythmias, mainly atrial fibrillation — Atrial fibrillation is a life-threatening condition that disrupts blood flow via the upper left heart chamber. The disruption can cause blood to pool for long, causing blood clots that can leave your heart and travel to your brain, resulting in a stroke.
- Feeling drowsy during the day — Although feeling sleepy during the day might not seem life-threatening, it could be dangerous depending on what you are doing. If you sleep while operating heavy machinery, it could have deadly implications for you and your colleagues.
Several treatment approaches depend on the specific forms of sleep apnea and its severity. While none of the approaches offer a cure, they can prevent apnea occurrences or lower how often they occur or their severity. Common treatment options include the following:
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP)
A leading treatment for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. The machine is fixed to a tube and has a face mask to wear that you put on while sleeping. The pressurized air prevents tissues in your airways from collapsing.
Similarly, bilevel positive airway pressure (BiBAP) machines offer varying pressures as you inhale and exhale.
Both CPAP and BiPAP therapy can reduce the effects of sleep apnea and most related medical conditions.
If you breathe through the mouth at night, you may need a mask that covers your nose and mouth. It may suit you to keep your mouth closed. These are often used together with CPAP.
Orofacial Therapy
Orofacial refers to the mouth and face. Orofacial therapy aids in strengthening the muscles that control your:
- Lips
- Face
- Soft palate
- Tongue
- The pharynx or the top section of your throat
Orofacial therapy treatment helps keep your airways open.
Implants and Devices
If you cannot tolerate CPAP or are not open to using one, you have other options, like oral implants and devices.
Oral devices are designed to fit and wear them while sleeping. These oral devices include the following:
- Jaw-repositioning mouthpieces — They hold the jaw forward to prevent it from blocking the airway.
- Tongue-retaining devices — They hold the tongue forward to prevent it from blocking your airway.
Some oral devices can adjust the tongue and the jaw.
Newer oral devices can also be used while the patient is awake. You should use the device once daily for 20 minutes for six weeks. It stimulates your tongue’s muscles and helps strengthen them so they do not collapse into your airways.
Implants are surgically implanted into your body to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve, which controls your tongue. They keep your tongue out of the airways.
Surgical Procedure
Your dentist should only recommend surgery if other treatment options have failed to offer relief. Sometimes, doctors use surgery to extract upper airway obstructions. Standard surgical procedures are as follows:
- Tonsillectomy or tonsil removal — This involves the removal of enlarged tonsils that may block your airflow.
- Tracheostomy — In this surgical procedure, a tube is placed through a hole in the neck and into your windpipe.
- Jaw advancement — The treatment enlarges your upper airway by shifting your jaw forward.
Upper Airway Stimulation
Your physician can recommend UAS. UAS is a tiny electrical tool identical to a heart pacemaker. Doctors put it in your chest above the ribs and below the skin. It has an electrode connected to the nerves that regulate your tongue’s muscles. The electrical charges stimulate the tongue while you are asleep, clearing your airways and making breathing easier.
Conventional Methods, including Lifestyle Changes
Some of the healthy lifestyle changes that could help you reduce sleep apnea include the following:
- Avoiding alcoholic beverages before going to bed — Alcohol can relax muscles surrounding your airways and trigger breathing pauses.
- Reducing weight — Obesity is associated with sleep apnea. Therefore, reducing weight could reduce or eliminate the symptoms.
- Adopt healthy bedtime habits — Establishing and maintaining a consistent bedtime routine, setting aside sufficient time for sleep in a comfortable atmosphere, and avoiding late-evening exercises and light or screen exposure can reduce sleep apnea.
- Quit smoking — Smoking increases a person’s risk of sleep apnea, and if you have the condition, it becomes more severe.
Mandibular Advancement Devices
Also known as mandibular advancement splints, MADs are the most common oral appliance for treating obstructive sleep apnea.
They function by pulling the mandible (lower jaw) forward. When you move your jaw forward, the tongue moves forward automatically, creating more room for airflow in your throat’s back.
Most MADs come in two (2) parts: one for the bottom teeth and the other for the top. Rubber bands, hinges, and screws connect the bottom and top, allowing the patient to pull the device’s lower part that regulates their jaw forward.
Please note that oral appliance therapy has short-term side effects like salivating, gum irritation, dry mouth, and pain in the teeth and jaw. Over time, it can result in a change in the bite and loose teeth.
Find a Skilled Dentist Near Me
Sleep apnea is a common chronic sleep disorder that impacts breathing after the muscles at the back of the throat relax. Seeking medical treatment is advisable; treatment can ease the symptoms, prevent other severe complications, and improve your quality of life. There are different treatment approaches your physician can recommend. When you consult Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, our experienced dental team can listen to you, discuss the various treatment options, and guide you until you make an informed health decision. If you believe you have the condition, please contact our Encino office at 818-751-5100.
