Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea, a common condition where breathing stops and starts while you sleep, can prevent your body from getting enough oxygen as well as much-needed quality sleep. Sleep apnea can have many causes. At RWJBarnabas Health our team of expert sleep specialists is here to provide the care and support you need to diagnose and treat sleep apnea.
We combine advanced treatments with a compassionate approach to help uncover the cause of sleep apnea and help you manage it. At RWJBarnabas Health, our dedicated sleep specialists collaborate with pulmonologists and otolaryngologists to help our patients breathe easier and get a good night’s sleep.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a potentially serious medical condition in which breathing during the sleep cycle repeatedly stops and starts. The word “apnea” means a temporary halt in breathing. When someone with sleep apnea is asleep, their breathing stops and restarts many times, preventing their body from getting enough oxygen to the lungs.
The most common form of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea. It occurs when the muscles in the throat relax and block the airway, preventing oxygen intake by reducing or completely stopping the flow of air during sleep.
Another form of sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, is less common and occurs because the brain does not communicate well with the muscles that control breathing. This can be the result of other conditions such as heart failure and stroke.
Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to more serious health problems, including:
- Chronic fatigue
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Congestive heart failure
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Stroke
Causes of Sleep Apnea
While central sleep apnea is caused by problems with the way your brain controls breathing during sleep, obstructive sleep apnea is affected by age, family history, lifestyle and some anatomical features of the body that can raise the risk for sleep apnea.
Causes of obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Alcohol or sedative use
- Body anatomy such as large tonsils, thick necks or narrow airway
- Obesity
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Sleep apnea can affect anyone. If you are not getting quality sleep, watch for signs and symptoms of sleep apnea:
- Daytime sleepiness and feeling tired because of inadequate sleep
- Headache upon waking due to poor sleep
- Problems focusing and reacting due to tiredness
- Sexual dysfunction or disinterest
- Frequent waking during the night to urinate
- Depression and irritability
If you share a bed with a partner, they may alert you to other symptoms
you are exhibiting which you may not be aware of such as:
- Gasping during sleep
- Pauses in breathing, from a few seconds to more than a minute
- Loud snoring
Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
To diagnose sleep apnea, your doctor will conduct a medical history and physical exam. They will want to know about your symptoms as well as any family history or risk factors you may have that may predispose you to sleep apnea.
Your provider may have you participate in a sleep study to help diagnose which type of sleep apnea you have and its severity. Keeping a sleep diary can also aid in diagnosis by tracking how long and how well you sleep.
In addition, your provider may order other blood tests or ultrasound tests to rule out any other medical conditions that can cause sleep apnea. You should alert your doctor to any changes in medicines, opioids in particular, or any recent travel to high altitudes as these might be linked to sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea there are several treatment options that your physician might recommend.
The most conservative course of action is to start with making healthy lifestyle changes such as:
- Diet and exercise to help maintain a healthy weight and control obesity
- Limiting alcohol and caffeine intake
- Quitting smoking
- Improving sleep hygiene by ensuring an optimal environment for sleep and limiting use of electronic devices
If lifestyle changes are not enough, additional treatments may be recommended such as:
- Airway pressure devices to help with breathing. The most common is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, to keep upper airways open while you sleep.
- Oral devices to help with breathing. These are placed in the mouth and hold the jaw or tongue in place to prevent blocked airways while you sleep.
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) devices. These removable devices stimulate the tongue and upper airway muscles to prevent them from collapsing and blocking the airway during sleep.
- Implantable device to stimulate airway opening during sleep. This treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is a device that stimulates the nerve that controls the airway to open it. It is a solution for people who have tried and struggled with CPAP.
A variety of procedures can help reduce snoring or treat sleep apnea by facilitating breathing including:
- Removing tonsils, adenoids and nasal polyps
- Surgery to remove tissues to help make the upper airway bigger
- Repairing a deviated septum where one nasal passage is significantly smaller than the other
- Surgery to move the upper and lower jaws forward (maxillomandibular advancement) to help make the upper airway bigger
Side Effects of Sleep Apnea
A major side effect of sleep apnea is a lack of good quality sleep due to low oxygen levels in the body during sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to:
- Trouble concentrating
- Difficulty making decisions
- Daytime sleepiness
- Lack of physical activity
Sleep apnea affects many parts of the body, so it is important to seek medical help to ensure a proper diagnosis and treatment. Untreated sleep apnea can raise the risk for serious health problems.
Sleep Apnea Prevention and Risk Factors
Sleep apnea has a variety of causes. Some factors, such as unhealthy lifestyle habits, can be changed such as ensuring a healthy diet, weight management and quitting smoking.
Other factors that raise the risk of obstructive sleep apnea cannot be changed, such as age, family history, race and ethnicity, and sex.
Expert Care for Sleep Apnea
If you think you might have sleep apnea, the sleep specialists at RWJBarnabas Health can help by diagnosing your problem and providing treatment to ease symptoms. Treatment for sleep apnea can prevent more serious medical problems and complications and make a big difference in your quality of sleep, and, as a result, in your quality of life.