What causes sleep apnea or how to treat it. Is it dangerous to leave it alone?

 

Did you know that 'sleep apnea can be life threatening if left untreated'? Sleep apnea isn't just about sleep. What the hell is the risk?

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a disease in which breathing temporarily stops during sleep. It is also known as 'SAS' after the acronym for Sleep Apnea Syndrome. A few years ago, sleep apnea caused major train and bus accidents, and has since become widely known.

To what extent is breathing cessation diagnosed as sleep apnea?

In general, apnea, in which breathing stops for more than 10 seconds during sleep, or hypoventilation in which breathing becomes shallow, occurs 5 or more times per hour of sleep.

We think that we cannot readily investigate by ourselves whether we are apnea during sleep. How do you notice?

Of course, you seldom notice on your own whether you have apnea during sleep. In fact, there are many cases of patients who come to see a doctor, saying, 'I was diagnosed with a family member who was pointed out that breathing was stopped or snoring.' Also, sleep apnea causes shallow sleep, resulting in intense drowsiness during the day. Therefore, some people are diagnosed with sleep apnea due to strong drowsiness.

Besides strong sleepiness, what other subjective symptoms do you have?

Malaise, poor concentration, and fatigue are the main subjective symptoms. Sleep apnea is also suspected if you have symptoms such as 'can't get up refreshed', 'dry mouth', 'heaviness in the head, pain' when waking up. Another symptom of sleep apnea is that you wake up more often to the bathroom while you are sleeping.

What causes sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is divided into two types. One is the narrowing of the airways, the passageways for air, making it physically impossible to breathe, which is called obstructive. Another type is caused by abnormalities in the brain or nerves. This is called centrality. Many of these are of the obstructive type, in which the airways narrow, making it physically impossible to breathe.

Why is the airway narrowing?

There are various causes for this. For example, when an obese person sleeps on their stomach, the fat deposits around the tongue or neck go down and block the airways. In fact, obesity is the number one cause of sleep apnea. In general, it is known that men are more likely to develop sleep apnea than women because fat tends to accumulate around the chin or neck when men gain weight compared to women.

Are there other factors that narrow the airway?

Examples include enlarged tonsils, small jaws, and nasal diseases such as chronic sinusitis or allergic rhinitis. In addition, smoking causes chronic inflammation of the throat, which narrows the airways, and alcohol also relaxes muscles, making it easier to block the airways.

Do these heal naturally? Or do I have to date for the rest of my life if I get sick?

Basically, nothing heals naturally. So, if you know you have sleep apnea, start with what you can do, such as losing weight, quitting smoking, or not drinking alcohol. It is also important to see a doctor and start treatment as soon as possible.

How does treatment work?

In mild to moderate cases, the goal is to improve symptoms by wearing a mouthpiece or lying on your side. Also, in severe cases, called CPAP (continuous positive pressure breathing) therapy, a special mask is worn to force air to be sent to prevent obstruction of the airways.

Will that treatment cure sleep apnea?

If the condition is greatly improved through surgery or diet, a mouthpiece or CPAP may become unnecessary, but basically, the treatment will continue. This is because treatment with a mouthpiece or CPAP is symptomatic and not curative. Treatment needs to be continued so that it does not get worse and does not pose a risk from sleep apnea.

What are the risks of sleep apnea?

First of all, there is a possibility of causing accidents during the day due to poor concentration due to lack of sleep and strong drowsiness. In addition, stress caused by drowsiness or fatigue increases the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and myocardial infarction.

It is no longer just a problem of 'lack of sleep' or 'drowsiness'.

It also increases the risk of diabetes. The mechanism of why sleep apnea increases the risk of diabetes is still unknown, but it is thought that sleep apnea may increase the risk of diabetes because it maintains a state of sympathetic dominance and increases insulin resistance.

You are at risk of various diseases.

A study conducted in the United States found that people with sleep apnea had a 1.5 times higher risk of diabetes, 2 times higher blood pressure, 3 times higher risk of heart disease, and 4 times higher risk of stroke compared to normal people. In fact, many people with sleep apnea die suddenly.

So sleep apnea is really scary.

It is now thought that more than 2% of the population (more than 2 million) suffer from sleep apnea. However, of these, only about a quarter are actually receiving treatment. I think the other three-quarters are overlooking it. If your family member has stopped breathing, is pointed out to snoring, or feels drowsy during the day, please see an internal medicine, respiratory medicine, or cardiovascular department as soon as possible.

Sleep apnea is a disease that is often neglected because it is difficult to detect on its own. At our hospital, we recommend testing for sleep apnea in people who have high blood pressure, blood sugar, and uric acid levels during medical examinations and medical examinations. This is because sleep apnea is known to raise these levels. In general, sleep apnea test is performed in the hospital, but the recommended test for people with high blood pressure, etc. Please do not miss the sign and make an effort to detect it early.

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People with family members living together may have a chance to notice sleep apnea according to the family's advice, but those who live alone are difficult to notice by themselves. If you have subjective symptoms such as "strong daytime sleepiness", , consultation in the hospital. In the early stages, you may be able to relieve symptoms with lifestyle changes. Let's aim for early detection.