What is Sleep?
Sleep is a period when the body is replenishing itself. During sleep, the body relaxes and equilibrium is restored both physically and mentally. It relieves the stresses of the previous day and replenishes itself for the coming day.
Sleep gives the body the reserves it needs to be aware and productive for the next day. Studies have shown that sleep is essential for normal immune system function and the ability to fight disease and sickness. In addition, sleep is essential for learning and normal, healthy, cell growth.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood. First described in 1965, sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. It owes its name to a Greek word, apnea, meaning "without breath".
Central sleep apnea, which is less common, occurs when the brain fails to send the appropriate signals to the breathing muscles to initiate respirations.
Obstructive sleep apnea is far more common and occurs when air cannot flow into or out of the person's nose or mouth although efforts to breathe continue.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissue in a person's throat collapses and the tongue is sucked completely against the back of the throat and blocks the airway during sleep. The blood-oxygen level then drops low enough that the brain signals the body to wake up and gasp for breath.
This happens so quickly that the sleeper usually does not remember it. In a given night, the number of involuntary breathing pauses or "apneic events" may be as high as 30 or more per hour. These breathing pauses are usually accompanied by snoring between apnea episodes, although not everyone who snores has this condition. In OSA snoring, the person appears to catch his/her breath or gasp. Thus they will periodically make a choking, snorting or gasping sound when the airway reopens.
Who Gets Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea occurs in all age groups and both sexes, but is more common in men (it may be under-diagnosed in women) and possibly young African-Americans. It has been estimated that as many as 18 million Americans have sleep apnea, and 80% of patients with moderate to severe OSA go undiagnosed. Four percent of middle-aged men and two percent of middle-aged women have sleep apnea along with excessive daytime sleepiness.
People most likely to have or develop sleep apnea include those who snore loudly and are overweight, have high blood pressure, or have some physical abnormality in the neck, throat, or other parts of the upper airway. Sleep apnea seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic basis.
One in four Americans (25%) are at risk for OSA, with increasing risk up to the age
of 65 years.
What is Snoring?
Over one third of adults snore. Snoring is a partial collapse of the soft tissue structures in the upper throat, which causes them to vibrate against each other. This produces the sound of snoring. The more collapsed the tissues, the narrower the passageway and the louder a person tends to snore.
Why is the airway narrow in snorers? The most common cause of a narrowed airway is a tongue that relaxes too much during sleep and gets sucked back into the airway with each breath taken.
In children, large tonsils and adenoids can be the cause of snoring. Pregnant women snore because of a narrowing of the airway and increased weight.
In a study conducted at Stanford University in California, one out of three chronic snorers were found to have a harmful degree of sleep apnea (where the throat becomes entirely blocked). This causes the person to stop breathing for a moment and the catch his breath. This throat blockage and lack of oxygen usually lasts between 10-30 seconds but sometimes continues for dangerously long periods of time.