Ever find yourself extremely tired during the daytime even with adequate hours of sleep? Or know a family member or loved one who has excessive LOUD snoring? I know I do!!
There is a big chance you are someone you know may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA is a common and serious sleep disorder. Now some may think…yeah yeah big deal, everyone snores every now and then and may have trouble sleeping. That’s was my initial thought- but guess what….it is a BIG DEAL!
OSA is the most common sleep apnea disorder and is frequently undiagnosed or untreated.
Lets just start with the definition of OSA: "Sleep disordered breathing characterized by repetitive collapse and reopening of the upper airway during sleep."
Your upper airway is literally collapsing- and during this collapsed period you’re apneic so at this point there is no flow of oxygen to the lungs….that’s what I would call a big deal. This places stress on your heart which increases the risks of many serious complications such as stroke, hypertension (HTN), Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Coronary artery disease (CAD), and Atrial Fibrillation- just to name a few.
Curious is you or someone you know may have OSA? A few symptoms include:
Many patients with OSA experience “Fricative Breathing” which is characterized as a snort at the end of an apneic period. These patients typically awaken themselves by a snort. In addition, “Confusional Arousals” may occurs in severe patients. This is where a patient awakens suddenly, sits upright in bed, and may gasp for air.
A few risk factors include:
What can I do to treat OSA?
The golden standard for treating OSA is positive airway pressure (PAP) usually with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). CPAP is a machine attached to a mask connected to the patient that uses a steady stream of air to keep your airway open throughout the night so you are able to breath.
After learning about OSA in class and working with patients with OSA I've realized just how serious it is- I think it is imperative that the public becomes more educated about the signs and symptoms of this disorder so as a whole we can better diagnose OSA!
There is a big chance you are someone you know may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA is a common and serious sleep disorder. Now some may think…yeah yeah big deal, everyone snores every now and then and may have trouble sleeping. That’s was my initial thought- but guess what….it is a BIG DEAL!
OSA is the most common sleep apnea disorder and is frequently undiagnosed or untreated.
Lets just start with the definition of OSA: "Sleep disordered breathing characterized by repetitive collapse and reopening of the upper airway during sleep."
Your upper airway is literally collapsing- and during this collapsed period you’re apneic so at this point there is no flow of oxygen to the lungs….that’s what I would call a big deal. This places stress on your heart which increases the risks of many serious complications such as stroke, hypertension (HTN), Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Coronary artery disease (CAD), and Atrial Fibrillation- just to name a few.
Curious is you or someone you know may have OSA? A few symptoms include:
- Loud snoring
- Observed periods of apnea
- Morning headache
- Hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness)
- Awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat
- Insomnia
Many patients with OSA experience “Fricative Breathing” which is characterized as a snort at the end of an apneic period. These patients typically awaken themselves by a snort. In addition, “Confusional Arousals” may occurs in severe patients. This is where a patient awakens suddenly, sits upright in bed, and may gasp for air.
A few risk factors include:
- Adult Male
- Older individuals –OSA has been shown to increase with age up to 65 years old
- Obesity –Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30
- Diabetes and or smokers –3x more likely
- Deviated nasal septum
- Chronic nasal congestion
What can I do to treat OSA?
The golden standard for treating OSA is positive airway pressure (PAP) usually with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). CPAP is a machine attached to a mask connected to the patient that uses a steady stream of air to keep your airway open throughout the night so you are able to breath.
After learning about OSA in class and working with patients with OSA I've realized just how serious it is- I think it is imperative that the public becomes more educated about the signs and symptoms of this disorder so as a whole we can better diagnose OSA!
The above picture demonstrates the anatomy with a CPAP machine mask placement.