Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is when the normal course of breathing is interrupted for 'long' periods of time during sleep. Many medical experts believe that smoking contributes to the incidence of sleep apnoea, becuse it irritates and so narrows the nasal passages and causes mucous which restrict the flow os air.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

What usually happens is:

1. first the air passage collapses while normal breathing is taking place, this prevents air reaching the lungs;
2. secondly, the blood/oxygen level drops so low that the brain tells the body to do something about it quickly;
3. thirdly, the body wakes up and gasps for air like a drowning man.

Most, if not all of this happens without actually waking up the sufferer of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

However, the partner does often hear it and it can be very distressing for them. Most sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome do not know that they have a problem.

There are several possible causes of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The wall in the nose (the septum) dividing the nostrils may not be 'straight' or it may be swollen or the filters in the nose (the turbinates) could be swollen.

The palate or and the uvula may be long or flacid allowing them to slip back into the throat during sleep. The tongue can also slip back, blocking the airway to the lungs.

The throat might be a little heavy - the extra weight might just be too much for the throat muscles to cope with during the relaxed state of sleep. This is especially true of people who are overweight or who have heavy necks.

In short there are many reasons, all of which seem quite unimportant, that could lead to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. However, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is quite serious.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome affects about 4% of Caucasian men and about 2% of Caucasian women under 50 years of age and about 4% of all people over 50. However, about 70% of obese people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The worst thing is though that only about 10% of sufferers are receiving treatment.

Africans and Indians have a higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, whereas Chinese people have the same 4% - 2% rate as Caucasians, which is strange because the Chinese are less obese that Caucasians in general.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome has several obtuse consequences. For example, interrupted sleep patterns can cause daytime fatigue, which in turn can lead to lack of concentration. Sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome have a three times higher risk of having a driving or workplace accident. Furthermore, the partners of sufferers often run the same risks because their sleep is often disrupted too.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome can lead to high blood pressure and that can have its own consequences. It also puts a greater strain on the heart, because the heart normally beats more slowly in sleep - in other words, it rests too during sleep. However, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome causes the heart to beat more quickly in order to keep the reduced oxygen levels up.

The simplest way for sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome who are overweight is to lose weight. Although this is easier said than done, a 10% reduction in weight can reduce the incidence of apnea by 25%, which will increase the value of a night's sleep and reduce hypertension.

Sleep apnea surgery techniques should be considered only as a last resort. CPAP is the most common form of controlling obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.