Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. Sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea cease breathing while they are asleep because of a complete or partial obstruction of the airway. A number of people with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing multiple times during their sleep, often for longer than a minute at a time.
The obstruction most people have is the passage in their own mouths from the soft palate to the base of the tongue. Muscles keep this area open when a person with obstructive sleep apnea is alert. When sleeping, these muscles relax causing the soft palate and tongue to block breathing. The airway closes; the sufferer stops breathing and then wakes up in an attempt to breathe again. The sufferer falls back to sleep only to wake up many times, from five to one-hundred times per night.
The brief waking up and going back to sleep only lasts a few seconds. It is enough time to keep the sufferer from achieving deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Everyone needs deep and REM sleep to wake up refreshed and revitalized every day.
The three main risk factors for developing obstructive sleep apnea are:
1. Age - As people get older, they lose muscle mass, which makes the airway soft and thin. When sleeping these already weak muscles relax, forming the obstruction.
2. Being Male - Men are at greater risk of getting obstructive sleep apnea.
3. Weight Gain - Weight gain is a contributing factor in obstructive sleep apnea. Extra fat causes the airway to close in when the muscles around it relax.
Other factors that place a person at risk of getting obstructive sleep apnea include:
Drug and alcohol abuse
Down Syndrome
Family history
Large adenoids and/or tonsils
Muscle disorders
Nasal congestion
Receding chin
Smoking
Thyroid disease
The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
Personality changes
Desire to sleep during the day
Depression
Falling asleep at the wheel
Frequently waking up during sleep
Inability to achieve deep sleep
Headaches
High blood pressure
Impotence
Memory loss
Obesity
Snoring
Tiredness
Complications resulting from obstructive sleep apnea include:
