Sleep apnoea (apnea)

What is sleep apnea?

Causes of sleep apnea

Symptoms of sleep apnea

Consequences of sleep apnea

Remedies for sleep apnea

References

What is sleep apnea?

While sleeping, the muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open. During the night, the breathing gets cut off multiple times, and there may be periods of low or insufficient breathing. A pause in breathing is called apnoea or apnea, and a low breathing event is known as a hypopnea. An apnea can last for a few seconds to a couple of minutes, and can occur up to 30 times per hour in the worst cases.

Sleep apnoea can cause the sufferer to wake up many times during the night, upsetting the ability to get deep sleep. Instead, sleep is fragmented and not particularly restful, and the blood is not properly oxygenated.

Around 5-7% of the total population suffer from sleep apnea. It affects mostly overweight adults, but children can also be affected. By the age of 50, about 9% of women and 24% of men are affected to some extent, usually undiagnosed and untreated.

People with sleep apnea are rarely aware of their difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Instead, they may suffer symptoms for years or even decades before it is diagnosed. It usually comes to light when someone else sees what is happening while the sufferer is sleeping, or when the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance become intolerable.

Causes of sleep apnea

• Overweight. A high level of fat in the body, and in particular a high level of fat in the tongue.
• Neck circumference. The larger the circumference, the higher the risk of apnea.
• Poor muscle tone, particularly around the neck, throat, airways.

Symptoms of sleep apnea

• Snoring.
• Chronic sleep deprivation, insomnia, not feeling fully rested. Daytime fatigue, falling asleep during the day.
• Impaired alertness.
• Slow reaction time.
• Attention, planning ability, drive, memory and learning ability may be affected, depending on the individual. Some may feel moody or belligerent during the day. These symptoms may lead to depression.
• Wake up with headache.
• Congestion around the nose and throat.
• Sexual dysfunction, low sex drive / low libido.
• Vision problems.

Consequences of sleep apnea

• Heart disease.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Stroke.
• Diabetes. (3)
• Depression and other mental problems.
• Cancer. Five times the rate of cancer. (2)
• Increased risk of accidents.

Remedies for sleep apnea

• Lose weight. Reduce the proportion of fat in the body (tongue). Reduce carbohydrate intake, eliminate refined sugar and reduce foods that contain their own sugar, such as fruit juice, dried fruits, all processed foods and sweetened foods, sweet snacks, pastries, breads and so on. Do not snack between meals.
• Vitamin D.
• Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT). IBT costs nothing, has no side effects except good ones, and is sometimes miraculously effective. Why wouldn't you try it?
• Improve muscle tone in the airways, neck. Breathing exercises, swimming, exercise in general. A study (1) found that learning to play the didgeridoo helped reduce sleep apnea. It strengthened the muscles in the upper airway, thus reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep.
• Avoid muscle relaxants such as sleeping pills and sedatives.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Stop smoking.
• Sleep on the side rather than the back.
• Sleep at a 30-degree elevation of the upper body or even higher, as if in a recliner. This helps prevent the gravitational collapse of the airway.
• Identify your allergies, particularly if they are causing a post nasal drip (rhinitis). Avoiding wheat and dairy will help most people.
• Medical and dental oral and surgical procedures.

References

1. Puhan MA, Suarez A, Lo Cascio C, Zahn A, Heitz M, Braendli O. Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: randomised controlled trial. February 2006. BMJ 332 (7536): 266-70.

2. F. Javier Nieto1, Paul E Peppard, Terry Young, Laurel Finn, Khin Mae Hla, Ramon Farre. Sleep disordered breathing and cancer mortality: results from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. May 20, 2012.

3. Broussard JL, Ehrmann DA, Van Cauter E, Tasali E, Brady MJ. Impaired insulin signaling in human adipocytes after experimental sleep restriction: a randomized, crossover study. Ann Intern Med. 2012 Oct 16;157(8):549-57. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-157-8-201210160-00005.