According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, CPAP is used to keep your airway open as you sleep by providing you with a steady stream of air pressure.  It keeps your tissues in your throat from collapsing and thereby ensures that you get the oxygen you need.

Results of the study show that while weight loss and surgery to remove tissue in the throat  may sometimes effectively treat sleep apnea, the evidence behind these treatments isn’t as strong as that which supports the usage of CPAP, according to the team from the Tufts Medical Center Evidence-Based Practice Center, which prepared the report.

About 12 million Americans are known to have obstructive sleep apnea, and it’s likely that millions more are undiagnosed, according to the AHRQ. The condition, caused by the repeated collapse and blockage of the upper airway during sleep, leads to a cessation in breathing that usually occurs many times through the night typically 5-100 times per hour!

The main symptoms of sleep apnea are loud snoring and feeling very sleepy during the day. Although, many patients, even those with severe OSA, can deny daytime sleepiness. Your bed partner may notice periods when you stop breathing during sleep. Other symptoms may include tossing and turning during sleep, frequent awakenings during the night, waking up with a headache, and feeling irritated and unrested.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Obstructive sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and increased risk of accidents because of daytime fatigue.

Anyone from age 2 to 92 can suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. It was commonly thought to be a disorder of over-weight, middle-aged men, but sleep specialists are revising their opinion. Thin people often have a long narrow pharynx and that predisposes them to sleep apnea. Children have tonsils that are large relative to their small throats and they can have sleep apnea that leads to symptoms of ADHD, learning difficulties and psychiatric problems such as depression. Pregnant women often develop snoring and sleep apnea and there is ongoing research into the dangers this might pose to mothers and their unborn children.  Post-menopausal women have the same risk as men.

If you are sleepy during the day despite adequate sleep time, then sleep apnea should be investigated, especially if you’re told that you snore or stop breathing at night. Studies report that anywhere from 4 percent-24 percent of men suffer from OSA, and 2–15 percent of women. Both sexes over the age of 65 have a rate of 20–25 percent.

Only a sleep specialist can determine if you are suffering from OSA, and what the best method of treatment is for you.  Contact Northshore Sleep Medicine at 847.674.3600 if you believe you or your bed partner are suffering from Obstructive Sleep

Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when you regularly stop breathing for 10 seconds or longer during sleep. It can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number of times in an hour that your breathing stops (apnea) or becomes very shallow (hypopnea).

Common symptoms of OSA include loud snoring, daytime sleepiness, unintentionally falling asleep during the day, fatigue and un-refreshing sleep and insomnia. OSA is also induced with increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and stroke.

CPAP, a device used to keep the airway open in order to help patients sleep better at night while you sleep, is the most common, and most effective, treatment for OSA.

The study compared the effects of a treatment with CPAP compared to placebo treatment in 59 adults diagnosed with OSA on self-reported measures of fatigue and energy.

Results show that CPAP treatment significantly decreased fatigue and increased energy after three weeks of treatment.

Authors of the study claim that these findings are significant, as they emphasize the importance of complying with CPAP therapy.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, OSA can occur in men and women of any age, but it is most common in obese, middle-aged men. A strong relationship exists between obesity and OSA. We estimate that 80% of people with OSA are overweight or obese.  However, I see patients every day in my clinic who are quite thin, but have horrible apnea usually because they have small, narrow throats.  The disorder is easily diagnosed with an overnight sleep test.

The study involved 472 people between the ages of 18 and 75 years with clinically diagnosed asthma. Participants had received treatment for their asthma condition at the University of Wisconsin tertiary-care clinic between the years 2007 and 2009.  All subjects completed the Sleep Apnea Scale of the Sleep Disorder Questionnaire to assess the severity of OSA symptoms and the Asthma Control Questionnaire to assess the quality of asthma control.

Previous studies have found that patients with undiagnosed OSA may continue to have difficulty controlling their asthma symptoms, even if they are receiving optimal care.

Results of the study show that 80 (17 percent) of patients had asthma symptoms that were not well controlled, and 109 (23 percent) were at high risk for OSA. Researchers found that after controlling for factors that are known to affect asthma control (such as obesity), patients at high risk for OSA were 2.87 times more likely to have poorly-controlled asthma compared to patients who were at low risk for the sleep disorder.

These findings suggest that treatment of OSA in asthma patients may lead to improvement in the treatment of asthma symptoms.

Patients who are at high risk for OSA should undergo a polysomnogram with a sleep specialist in order to determine the severity of their condition and determine the best course of treatment. The most common treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which uses a device to push a steady stream of air through a mask in order to open a patient’s airway while they sleep.

My Asthma patients often fear that CPAP will worsen or exacerbate their Asthma, and so I like to share research such as this to reassure them that most likely treating their sleep apnea with CPAP or with other methods will help them have fewer Asthma attacks.

According to a 2005 survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, nearly one in four American couples sleep in separate bedrooms. Many of the participants in the study explained that they were choosing to sleep apart from their partner because their sleep is disturbed by their partner’s sleep disorder.

Often, both people in a relationship suffer from serious health problems if a sleep disorder remains untreated. Those who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) are at increased risk for stroke, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and even death. Most people, but not all, who suffer from sleep apnea snore  and of course this can greatly disturb their bed partners.

Other disorders that disrupt a bed partner’s sleep include restless leg syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, insomnia and REM Behavior Disorder (acting out dreams and nightmares).  Loud snoring, restlessness or tossing and turning may keep the unaffected partner from sleeping.

Bedmates of those suffering from a sleep disorder may feel resentment, because they are unable to get the sleep they need. Also many spouses of my sleep apnea patients talk to me about the fear and anxiety that they have at night while they lie there in the bed watching their partners stop breathing. Often, they feel it is their duty to stay awake and watch out for their spouses, for example, by nudging or shaking them in order to get them to breath.

Partners of those suffering from untreated sleep disorders may also be compromising their physical and mental well-being, as sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk for many of the health problems that we see associated with sleep apnea.

Although sleeping together can be difficult when one partner suffers from an untreated sleep disorder, couples may be able to share a bed in peace if the partner receives treatment. Some sleep problems can be eliminated by improving sleep hygiene (making positive behavioral changes), such as keeping technology out of the bedroom and creating a routine sleep habit.

If making changes in your sleep habits does not improve the quality of your sleep, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. You should visit a sleep expert if your sleep problems persist for more than a month.  Loud snoring, a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea can be treated  through the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy or with oral devices that advance the jaw and open the airway while you sleep.  According to the American Academy of Sleep medicine’s Sleep Better Blog, marital conflicts caused by sleep difficulties decrease after three months use of CPAP therapy. Doctors may also recommend cognitive behavioral therapy or a prescription sleep aid if insomnia is the problem. As for Restless Leg Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, there are medications that are safe and effective.

Take home message:  whatever sleep problem you or your partner has, a sleep physician can help treat it.  And treating a person’s sleep disorder not only improves the patient’s health outcomes but can play a role in improving in his or her marriage.

While OSA can occur in men and women of any age, it is commonly found in middle-aged, overweight men. Symptoms of the disorder include snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, un-refreshing sleep, unintentionally falling asleep and insomnia. People with untreated OSA also often experience decreased awareness during the day and lower productivity.

Web-MD reports that results of the study show that patients with OSA had reductions in gray matter volume and a decrease in neuropscyhologic performance. After receiving CPAP therapy for three-months, these patients had a significant increase in both gray matter volume and great improvement in their scores on neuropsychologic testing.

No further improvement in gray matter volume was seen when patients were re-evaluated after one year of receiving CPAP therapy.

Findings of this study highlight the importance of adherence to CPAP therapy, as use results in significant improvements in patients’ overall well-being and contributes to the restoration of brain areas that are adversely affected by OSA.

The most common signs or symptoms of Sleep Apnea are snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness.

The study included 163 children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17 years of age. Results indicate that moderate to severe OSA is linked to both lower academic grades and behavioral problems observed by both parents and teachers.  Students who had OSA averaged a half-letter grade lower than those without the condition.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine states that other problems associated with untreated OSA in children include aggressive behavior, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and delays in development.  If left untreated, OSA can negatively affect a child for the rest of his or her life.

The good news is that sleep apnea in kids is easily diagnosed by a sleep test and is easily treated,   often by tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, or is that is not successful, we do CPAP (continuous Positive Airway Pressure).  Believe it or not, children often take to it easier than adults.  Be sure that you seek out a sleep medicine specialist that has significant experience testing and treating children.  There is an extra monitor that we put on children (CO2 monitor) that is not part of the standard polysomnography (sleep test) but which is essential in detecting if the child is hypoventilating.

OSA, a sleep disorder that disrupts night time breathing, is often recognized by its’ most common symptoms; snoring and daytime sleepiness/fatigue.   While OSA is more frequently found in men, the disease also affects women, and after menopause, they are just as likely as men to develop it.   Results of this large study which included both men and women show that both genders are equally affected by stroke associated with sleep apnea. The increased risk is independent of other predictors of stroke, such as obesity, high blood pressure and smoking.

Previous studies have found that OSA is associated with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, cardiac arrythmias,  fatigue,  dementia,  extreme daytime sleepiness and even premature death.

OSA can be treated with the use of CPAP  (continuous positive airway pressure) or an oral appliance that is prescribed by a physician and fitted by a dentist.  Proper treatment of sleep apnea can reduce or eliminate symptoms and improve overall health and future health risks as well as daytime functioning.

Only a sleep physician can determine if you are suffering from OSA. If you think you or someone you know may be suffering from sleep apnea, please contact us to make an appointment for a consultation.

A new study published in Kidney International found that sleep apnea is an independent predictor of increased all-cause mortality in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis independent of age, male gender and diabetic status. Risk increases with the severity of the patient’s sleep apnea.

The study, which began in 2001, studied 93 Chinese patients who were receiving peritoneal dialysis. Participants underwent at least one overnight polysomnography (sleep study) at the beginning of their dialysis treatment. After a median follow-up of 41 months, 53 patients (56.9 percent) developed one or more cardiovascular events. Thirty (32.2 percent) of the patients had died. Among the patients who had died, 17 (56.6 percent) were due to cardiovascular events.

While the study was unable to determine the cardiovascular outcome for all patients included in the study, sleep apnea is known to increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and death in the general population.

Sleep apnea is typically treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.  The most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are snoring and daytime sleepiness.

I reccomend that you find a comprehensive sleep center that will take care of all your problems, big and small.  Also see if there are any CPAP support groups in your area. We run our own, but there is a national organization, AWAKE, that runs support groups all over the country. Find one near you at:  http://www.sleepapnea.org/awake/index.html