Are you having a hard time staying awake during the day? Have headache in the morning or does not feel energized even if your sleeping time is just enough? Well, if it is so, then your sleep quality is not good. You know, sleep is as important to the human body as food and water so we must ensure that we get a nice rest at night. You might be asking why; honestly, there are a lot of possible reasons. Sleep deprivation can be due to disorders like insomnia, sleep obstructive apnea (OSA), also aging and illness such as cancer or stroke.
In this article, we will focus on Obstructive Sleep Apnea as the result of your sleep deprivation.
“Tell me a bit of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)”
OSA is a common disorder with repetitive episodes of pharyngeal (upper) airway narrowing during sleep. This is mainly the reason why your sleep quality is so bad. It is alarming to know that OSA is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease in adults and behavioral problems in children. If your child is always sleepy at class or having a headache in the morning, go to the doctor for consultation; the child might be suffering from this disorder.
“When should I suspect that I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?”
- Witnessed apneas- when your partner notice that you stop breathing for a moment at night while you’re sleeping but this is followed by a deep expiration.
- Chronic snoring– your partner might complain to you on the following morning, saying, “I didn’t sleep well last night because you were too loud!” It is the most common symptom of OSA, but that doesn’t mean that everyone who snores has sleep apnea. In general, a person with sleep apnea is not aware of their breathing problems at night. For that reason, they often only find out about the issue from a bed partner, family member, or roommate.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness: sleepiness that is not explained by other factors; It is the most likely symptom to be noticed by people with sleep apnea that live alone.
People who are high risk of OSA who must be evaluated for OSA symptoms
- Those who are obese with BMI of greater than or equal to 30
- With Heart Failure, refractory hypertension
- Have Diabetes Type 2
- Suffered from stroke
- Individuals at high risk for accidents such as long haul drivers, pilots
- Will undergo Bariatric surgery (this is an operation to help you lose weight)
- Have chronic respiratory diseases
“How can the doctor confirm that I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?”
The gold standard in diagnosing OSA is through sleep study or Polysomnography. You don’t have to do anything here, you’ll just be asked to sleep as usual. The professional will put wires in your body to monitor different physiologic mechanisms.
Physical findings suggestive of the presence of OSA
- You have a wide neck circumference which is >17 inches in male or <16 inches in female
- BMI of greater than or equal to 30
- Modified Mallampati score of 3 or 4
- Retrognathia which means your lower jaw is set further back than the upper jaw, making it look like you have a severe overbite
- Macroglossia or large tongue
- Large tonsils
How to manage OSA?
- Behavioral and Lifestyle Modification: all overweight or obese patients diagnosed with OSA should be encouraged to lose weight
- If you are using CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure while sleeping, you should stop using alcohol, narcotics, sedatives and muscle relaxants
- Positional therapy
Recommended Articles:
, also aging and illness such as cancer){kind=link}