What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is one of the most important diseases caused by snoring and can be expressed as a cessation of breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea, which means that breathing stops and becomes superficial during sleep, may recur repeatedly over night. During sleep apnea, there is relaxation in the muscles that keep the upper respiratory tract open. Inability to breathe for at least 10 seconds as a result of tongue root or soft palate or overgrown tonsils obstructing airway is called sleep apnea.
Although breathing effort continues during sleep apnea, this effort increases after a while and stimulates the brain and opens the airway. The person who snores until he stops breathing continues to breathe and snore again with a loud grunt.
It is known that sleep apnea increases the risk of traffic accidents by 7-8 times and causes work accidents when necessary precautions are not taken. Although the incidence of sleep apnea is 1-4%, it can be better understood how important it is if diabetes is considered to be 3% and asthma is approximately 5%.
Causes of Sleep Apnea
The cause of sleep apnea is that the muscles in the throat relax to cover the area where the air passes. Stenosis of the upper respiratory tract may cause respiratory wear and tear from childhood, which can lead to sleep apnea syndrome. Being overweight, having large tonsils and nasal flesh may also be among the causes of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be seen not only in adults but also in children.
In people with sleep apnea syndrome, snoring occurs 3-4 times more, very rough and noisy. In addition to snoring, shortness of breath, frequent sighing, trying to wake up with hand and arm movements, frequent and prolonged breathing stops, wake up tired in the morning are also seen in people with sleep apnea syndrome. Although it is not considered the full cause of sleep apnea, 30-50% of patients with sleep apnea syndrome have hypertension.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
The most important symptom of sleep apnea is the cessation of breathing during sleep. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include:
Restlessness while asleep
Snore
Frequent urination
Sweating
Dry mouth
reflux
Breathing stops with witness
In addition, headache, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, depression, vigorous inability to wake up in the morning and excessive sleepiness and fatigue are among the observable symptoms of sleep apnea during the day.
People with symptoms of sleep apnea may experience many serious conditions during the day. Sudden death during sleep, stroke, heart attack and heart failure, if the patient is obese, weight loss, respiratory failure in lung patients, sexual reluctance and impotence, uncontrolled diabetes can be shown as examples of these problems. In addition, sleep apnea can lead to constant fatigue and lack of concentration during the day, resulting in traffic and occupational accidents.
Sleep Apnea Test
Sleep apnea test is the most important stage in the process of detection and treatment of the disease. The sleep apnea test, called "polysomnography", is a test that records all-night brain activity and respiratory events.
Polysomnography, a sleep apnea test, is based on the measurement of brain waves, eye movements, airflow through the mouth and nose, snoring, heart rate, leg movements and oxygen levels during sleep. In order to have a sleep apnea test, patients need to stay in the sleeping room for one night. During the test, the signals received by cables connected to various points of the body are transferred to the computer outside the room. By examining these records taken until the morning, many parameters such as how many times the breathing stops during sleep, how long it stops, how the oxygen values and heart rate are affected when it stops, and whether or not to fall asleep can be examined.
How to Prevent Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can be prevented by simple considerations. Obesity is the most important changeable risk factor for the disease. Sleep apnea can be reduced by 50% by losing weight. In addition, avoiding alcohol and sleeping medicines, quitting smoking and not lying on your back will reduce the discomfort. Sprays or elastic bands that reduce snoring and provide nasal patency are not sufficient for the treatment of sleep apnea.