Do you snore? Do you like to take naps?
You may think this is normal but these symptoms may indicate a serious sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea. With sleep apnea your breathing during sleep is reduced or even stopped. Each episode may last from 10 seconds to over a minute. During this time the oxygen level in your blood may drop. In order to start breathing again, you awaken just a little bit. Not long enough to remember, but long enough to disturb your sleep. Each of these episodes occurs anywhere from dozens to hundreds of times a night. In the morning you feel like you haven’t slept well, even though you may have had 8 or 9 hours of sleep. It takes you a long time to get going in the morning, or you “crash” later in the day. You may nap at your desk, or on break. You could fall asleep watching TV or reading. Some people even start to “drift” while driving or speaking to someone.
You might have sleep apnea if:
- Your partner complains about your loud snoring
- Your partner has seen you stop breathing
- You awaken multiple times at night, sometimes gagging or choking, often for no reason
- You get up in the morning feeling unrested
- You feel tired and run-down during the day
- You take naps or fall asleep during the day
You are more likely to have sleep apnea if:
- You are overweight
- You are male
- Someone in your family has sleep apnea
What happens if you don’t treat sleep apnea?
- You will continue to be tired, sleepy, run-down, and unrested
- You are more likely to get high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, strokes and depression
- You are more likely to be in an accident
In mild cases of sleep apnea treatment may consist of losing weight, reducing alcohol, and changing your sleep position. In more severe cases treatment with CPAP, an oral appliance, or surgery may be needed.
CPAP is the most common treatment. It uses a small, quiet air pump that takes air from the room and delivers it under gentle pressure to a mask that covers your nose. This acts to hold your throat open during the night. You only use CPAP at night in bed. It stops the snoring and the machine noise is very much quieter than the snoring was. Sometimes it takes a while to get used to CPAP but most people eventually do.
If you are concerned that you, or someone you love, may have sleep apnea, please make an appointment at the Grande Health & Wellness Clinic to speak to a provider. If it is felt that sleep apnea is likely, you will be referred to a Sleep Clinic for further evaluation including an overnight sleep study. A sleep study measures your sleep, breathing, and oxygen levels. Getting treatment for sleep apnea will not only improve your life, but the lives of those you care about.