Sleep problems including snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

 
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Sleep Breathing Disorders

Snoring

Snoring is a common sleep disorder that can affect all people at any age, although it occurs more frequently in men and people who are overweight. Snoring has a tendency to worsen with age. Forty-five percent of adults snore occasionally, while 25% are considered habitual snorers.

Occasional snoring is usually not very serious and is mostly a nuisance for the bed partner of the person who snores. However, the habitual snorer not only disrupts the sleep patterns of those close to them, but also their own. Habitual snorers snore whenever they sleep and are often tired after a night of what seems like quality rest. Medical assistance is usually needed for habitual snorers to get a good night's sleep.
 

What Causes Snoring?

The physical obstruction of the flow of air through the mouth and nose is the cause of snoring. The walls of the throat vibrate during breathing, resulting in the distinctive sounds of snoring.

Air flow can be obstructed by a combination of factors, including:

Obstructed nasal airways: Partially blocked nasal passages require extra effort to transfer air through them while sleeping. This can pull together or collapse the non-rigid soft and dangling tissue of the throat, resulting in snoring. Some people snore only during allergy seasons or when they have a sinus infection. Deformities of the nose such as a deviated septum (a "crooked" wall that separates one nostril from the other) or nasal polyps can also cause obstruction and sleep problems.
  Man snoring
     
Poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue: Throat and tongue muscles can be too relaxed, which allows them to collapse and fall back into the airway. This can result from deep sleep, alcohol, and some sleeping pills. Normal aging causes further relaxation of these muscles and increases the potential for snoring.

Bulky throat tissue: Being overweight can cause bulky throat tissue. Also, children with large tonsils and adenoids often snore.

Long soft palate and/or uvula: One of the most common causes of snoring, a long soft palate or uvula (the dangling tissue in back of the mouth) can block the opening at the back of the throat. When these structures vibrate and bump against one another during sleep, the airway becomes obstructed and causes snoring.

What Are the Health Risks of Snoring?

Habitual snorers can be at risk for serious health problems. Obstructive sleep apnea is an illness that is often associated with chronic snoring. This condition creates several problems, including:

• Long interruptions of breathing (more than 10 seconds) during sleep caused by partial or total obstruction or blockage of the airway. Serious cases can have total blockage episodes hundreds of times per night.

• Frequent waking from sleep, even though he or she may not realize it.

• Snorers with obstructive sleep apnea sleep lightly in order to keep their throat muscles tense enough to maintain airflow.

• Blood oxygen levels are often lowered, which causes the heart to pump harder and blood pressure to rise. The result is a poor night's sleep, which leads to drowsiness during the day and can interfere with the person's quality of life. Prolonged suffering from obstructed sleep apnea will result in higher blood pressure and may cause enlargement of the heart, with higher risks of heart attack and stroke.

• The stress of not getting enough oxygen causes the body to produce adrenalin, a chemical that helps our bodies fight and cope with stressful situations. Adrenalin also causes blood sugar to rise, which may eventually lead to diabetes.

Snoring Treatments & Solutions -->
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Tired during the day?

Do you struggle to stay awake during work and other activities and you don’t know why? Could sleep apnea or another medical condition be the main culprit?

Sometimes the cause of sleepiness isn’t easy to figure out. Here is information that can point you in the right direction and help you find the treatment that works best for you.
 
What Is Excessive Sleepiness?

Sleepiness is likely a problem for you if:

• You have trouble waking up in the morning
• You often feel sleepy during your waking hours
• Naps don’t take the edge off your sleepiness

Along with having to drag yourself through the day, you may also have:

• Loss of appetite
• Trouble with thinking or memory
• Feelings of irritability or anxiety

About 20% of adults have sleepiness severe enough to affect their regular activities.

  Man asleep during the day
Conditions That Can Cause Sleepiness

Not getting enough sleep -- sometimes by choice -- is the most common cause of excessive sleepiness. Working at night and sleeping during the day is another. Other causes include drug, alcohol, or cigarette use, lack of physical activity, obesity, and the use of certain medications.

But nodding off when you want or need to be awake may also be caused by an underlying condition. Depression or a sleep disorder such as restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea or narcolepsy are common causes of problem sleepiness.

Simply complete the following Questionnaire (ESS) and we will email you the results.


Sleep Quality Questionnaire Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) -->
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Sleep Apnoea

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnoea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain -- and the rest of the body -- may not get enough oxygen.

There are two main types of sleep apnea:

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA): The more common of the two forms of apnea, it is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep.

Central sleep apnoea: Unlike OSA, the airway is not necessary blocked but the brain fails to signal to the muscles to breathe due to instability in the respiratory control center.
Sleep Apnea Diagram
   
Am I at Risk for Sleep Apnoea?

Sleep apnoea can affect anyone at any age, even children. Risk factors for sleep apnea include:

• Male gender
• Being overweight
• Being over the age of forty
• Having a large neck size (17 inches or greater in men and 16 inches or greater in women)
• Having large tonsils, a large tongue, or a small jaw bone
• Having a family history of sleep apnea
• Gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD
• Nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum, allergies, or sinus problems

What Are the Effects of Sleep Apnoea?

If left untreated, sleep apnea can result in a growing number of health problems including:

• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and heart attacks
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Worsening of ADHD

In addition, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for poor performance in everyday activities, such as at work and school, motor vehicle crashes, as well as academic underachievement in children and adolescents.


Berlin Questionnaire (for sleep apnea) -->

CPAP Therapy -->

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