Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the full form of OSA. It is the collapse of the upper airway while sleeping. It's a type of common breathing problem while sleeping.
What is OSA?
When something blocks half of your entire upper airway during sleep, it's called obstructive sleep apnea. To open the airways and bring air into the lungs, your diaphragm and chest muscles have to work harder. Your breathing may become shallow or stop altogether. A loud gasp, cough, or jerking of the body usually signals that breathing is starting again. You can't sleep well, but you won't be aware of it.
Especially during sleep, air must flow easily from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Apnea or apnoeic crises are periods when breathing stops completely. Throughout the night, the usual air flow is interrupted in the OSA.
Although OSA is more common in older men, it can affect anyone, even toddlers. After menopause, the incidence climbs to the point where men and postmenopausal women have equal rates. Snoring is often associated with OSA, especially when it is interrupted by intervals of silence. The compression of air flow through a narrowed airway causes snoring.
What causes OSA or obstructive sleep apnea?
When the tissue in the back of your neck relaxes too much to allow normal breathing, you have obstructive sleep apnea. These muscles support the soft palate, tonsils, uvula, and tongue.
As you inhale, your airway narrows or closes as the muscles relax, causing difficulty breathing for 10 seconds or more. This causes a build-up of carbon dioxide and reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood.
Your brain detects this blocked breathing and wakes you up briefly to open your airway. You usually don't remember this awakening because it is so fleeting. Shortness of breath may wake you up, but is quickly corrected with one or several deep breaths. You may choke, blow your nose or gasp for breath.
This sequence may occur five to thirty times every hour or more, throughout the night. These disorders make it difficult for you to enter the deep, restorative stages of sleep, and then you are likely to feel drowsy during the day.
What are the risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea can affect anyone. However, some variables put you at greater risk, including:
- Weight gain: Obstructive sleep apnea affects most people, though not all. Fat deposits in the upper respiratory tract can make breathing difficult. Obesity-related medical problems, such as hypothyroidism or polycystic ovary syndrome, can potentially trigger obstructive sleep apnea.
- Aging: The risk of obstructive sleep apnea increases with age, although it levels off in your 60s and 70s.
- Airway obstruction: You may be born with narrow airways. Alternatively, your adenoids or tonsils may become enlarged and restrict your airway.
- Blood pressure problems (hypertension): People with hypertension are more likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.
- Nasal congestion that persists: Those who have persistent nasal congestion during sleep are twice as likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea regardless of the source. This could be related to a blocked airway.
- Smoking: Smokers are more prone to obstructive sleep apnea.
- Diabetes: Obstructive sleep apnea may be more common in people with diabetes.
- Sex: Obstructive sleep apnea affects two to three times more men than premenopausal women. After menopause, the incidence of sleep apnea increases in women.
- Sleep apnea runs in the family: Obstructive sleep apnea in your family may increase your risk.
- Asthma: Asthma has been linked to the risk of sleep apnea in research.
What is the treatment for OSA?
- Weight loss: People with OSA are advised to lose weight, as obesity is a prevalent condition that disrupts sleep. Indeed, weight loss has been shown to be a preventative solution to reduce the severity of OSA, although it may not lead to complete remission. If your doctor recommends it, losing weight can help lower blood pressure while increasing your quality of life and minimizing daytime sleepiness.
- Lie on your side: Positional therapy is used to help you learn to sleep on your side, as resting on your back can make OSA worse in some people.
- Positive Airway Pressure: The primary line of treatment for OSA is CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy. It comes with an overnight face mask.