Sleep Apnea

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea affects the way you breathe when you’re sleeping. In untreated sleep apnea, breathing is briefly interrupted or becomes very shallow during sleep. These breathing pauses typically last between 10 to 20 seconds and can occur up to hundreds of times a night.

Untreated sleep apnea prevents you from getting a good night’s sleep. When breathing is paused, you’re jolted out of your natural sleep rhythm. As a consequence, you spend more time in light sleep and less time in the deep, restorative sleep you need to be energetic, mentally sharp, and productive the next day.

This chronic sleep deprivation results in daytime sleepiness, slow reflexes, poor concentration, and an increased risk of accidents. Sleep apnea can also lead to serious health problems over time, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and weight gain. But with treatment, you can control the symptoms, get your sleep back on track, and start enjoying what it’s like to be refreshed and alert every day.

Types of sleep apnea

• Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. It occurs when the soft tissue in the back of your throat relaxes during sleep, causing a blockage of the airway (as well as loud snoring).
• Central sleep apnea is a much less common type of sleep apnea that involves the central nervous system, rather than an airway obstruction. It occurs when the brain fails to signal the muscles that control breathing. People with central sleep apnea seldom snore.
• Complex sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea signs and symptoms

It can be tough to identify sleep apnea on your own, since the most prominent symptoms only occur when you’re asleep. But you can get around this difficulty by asking a bed partner to observe your sleep habits or recording yourself during sleep.

Major signs and symptoms of sleep apnea

Other common signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include:

Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea in children

While obstructive sleep apnea can be common in children, it’s not always easy to recognize. In addition to continuous loud snoring, children with sleep apnea may adopt strange sleeping positions and suffer from bedwetting, excessive perspiration at night, or night terrors. Children with sleep apnea may also exhibit changes in their  daytime behavior, such as:

• Hyperactivity or inattention
• Developmental and growth problems
• Decrease in school performance
• Irritable, angry, or hostile behavior
• Breathing through mouth instead of nose

If you suspect your child may have sleep apnea, consult a pediatrician who specializes in sleep disorders. Once obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed, surgery to remove the child’s tonsils or adenoids usually corrects the problem.

Is it just snoring or is it sleep apnea?

Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. So how do you tell the difference between garden variety snoring and a more serious case of sleep apnea?

The biggest telltale sign is how you feel during the day. Normal snoring doesn’t interfere with the quality of your sleep as much as sleep apnea does, so you’re less likely to suffer from extreme fatigue and sleepiness during the day.

If you’re still unsure whether your snoring is normal or something more serious, the following strategies can help you decipher the symptoms:

• Keep a sleep diary – Record how many hours you’re spending in bed, any nighttime awakenings, and whether you feel refreshed in the morning. Ask your sleep partner to keep track of your snoring, including how loud and frequent it is. Also ask him or her to note any gasping, choking, or other unusual sounds.
• Record yourself sleeping – Taking a video or audio recording of yourself while you sleep can be very informative and revealing. You can use a sound-activated audio recorder, a video camera, or software that turns your computer into a recorder.

Sleep apnea causes and risk factors

Anyone can have sleep apnea—young, old, male, female, and even children can suffer. However, certain risk factors have been associated with obstructive and central sleep apnea.

Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea

You have a higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea if you are:

Other risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea include certain physical attributes, such as having a thick neck, deviated septum, receding chin, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids (the most common cause of sleep apnea in children). Your airway may be blocked or narrowed during sleep simply because your throat muscles tend to relax more than normal. Allergies or other medical conditions that cause to nasal congestion and blockage can also contribute to sleep apnea.

Risk factors for central sleep apnea

Like obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea is more common in males and people over the age of 65. However, unlike obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea is often associated with serious illness, such as heart disease, stroke, neurological disease, or spinal or brainstem injury.

Self-help treatment options for sleep apnea

While a diagnosis of sleep apnea can be scary, it is a treatable condition. In fact, there are many things you can do on your own to help, particularly for mild to moderate sleep apnea. Home remedies and lifestyle modifications can go a long way in reducing sleep apnea symptoms.
Lifestyle changes that can help sleep apnea

• Lose weight. Some people find that even moderate to severe sleep apnea can be completely corrected by losing excess weight. For others, even a small amount of weight loss can open up the throat and improve sleep apnea symptoms.
• Quit smoking. Smoking is believed to contribute to sleep apnea by increasing inflammation and fluid retention in your throat and upper airway.
• Avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, and sedatives, especially before bedtime, because they relax the muscles in the throat and interfere with breathing.
• Avoid caffeine and heavy meals within two hours of going to bed.
• Maintain regular sleep hours. Sticking to a steady sleep schedule will help you relax and sleep better. Apnea episodes decrease when you get plenty of sleep.

Bedtime tips for preventing sleep apnea

• Sleep on your side. Avoid sleeping on your back, as gravity makes it more likely for your tongue and soft tissues to drop and obstruct your airway.
• Try the tennis ball trick. In order to keep yourself from rolling onto your back while you sleep, sew a tennis ball into a pocket on the back of your pajama top. Or wedge a pillow stuffed with tennis balls behind your back.
• Prop your head up. Elevate the head of your bed by 4 to 6 inches or elevate your body from the waist up by using a foam wedge. You can also use a special cervical pillow.
• Open your nasal passages. Try to keep your nasal passages open at night using a nasal dilator, saline spray, breathing strips, or a neti pot.

Medical treatment options for sleep apnea

If your sleep apnea is moderate to severe, or you’ve tried self-help strategies and lifestyle changes without success, it’s important to see a sleep doctor. A sleep specialist can evaluate your symptoms and help you find an effective treatment. Treatment for sleep apnea has come a long way in recent times, so take some time to explore the new options. Even if you were unhappy with sleep apnea treatment in the past, chances are you can find something that works and feels comfortable to you.
Treatments for central and complex sleep apnea usually include:

• Treating the underlying medical condition causing the apnea, such as a heart or neuromuscular disorder.
• Using supplemental oxygen while you sleep.
• Breathing devices that are also used to manage obstructive sleep apnea.

Medications are only available to treat the sleepiness associated with sleep apnea, not the apnea itself, so should only be used in conjunction with other proven sleep apnea treatments.

CPAP for sleep apnea

Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure, or CPAP for short, is the most common treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. In many cases, you’ll experience immediate symptom relief and a huge boost in your mental and physical energy. The CPAP device is a mask-like machine that provides a constant stream of air which keeps your breathing passages open while you sleep. Most CPAP devices are the size of a tissue box.

If you’ve given up on sleep apnea machines in the past because of discomfort, you owe it to yourself to give them a second look. CPAP technology is constantly being updated and improved. The new CPAP devices are lighter, quieter, and more comfortable, so make sure your sleep apnea device is up to date.

CPAP for sleep apnea: tips and troubleshooting

Having trouble with your new sleep apnea device? It can take some time to get accustomed to sleeping while wearing a CPAP device. It’s natural to miss sleeping the “old way,” but there are things you can to do make the adjustment easier.  

• Make sure your CPAP device fits correctly. A correct fit makes a huge difference. Make sure the straps are not too tight or too loose and that the mask seals completely over your nose and mouth. Schedule regular appointments with your doctor to check the fit and evaluate your treatment progress.
• Ease into it. Start by using your CPAP device for short periods during the day. Use the “ramp” setting to gradually increase air pressure. It’s normal to need several months to get used to sleeping this way.
• Upgrade your CPAP device with customized options. Customize the mask, tubing and straps to find the right fit. Ask your doctor about soft pads to reduce skin irritation, nasal pillows for nose discomfort, and chin-straps to keep your mouth closed and reduce throat irritation.
• Use a humidifier to decrease dryness and skin irritation. Try a special face moisturizer for dry skin. Many CPAP devices now come with a built-in humidifier.
• Try a saline nasal spray or a nasal decongestant for nasal congestion.
• Keep your mask, tubing and headgear clean. To ensure maximum comfort and benefit, replace CPAP and humidifier filters regularly and keep the unit clean.
• Mask the sound of the CPAP machine. If the sound of the CPAP machine bothers you, place it beneath the bed reduce the noise. You can also try using a sound machine or white noise machine help you sleep.

Other breathing devices for sleep apnea

In addition to CPAP, there are other adjustable airway pressure devices that a sleep specialist may recommend:

• Bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) devices can be used for those who are unable to adapt to using CPAP, or for central sleep apnea sufferers who need assistance for a weak breathing pattern. This device automatically adjusts the pressure while you're sleeping, providing more pressure when you inhale, less when you exhale. Some BPAP devices will also automatically deliver a breath if it detects you haven't taken one for a certain number of seconds.
• Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) can be used for treating central sleep apnea as well as obstructive sleep apnea. The device stores information about your normal breathing pattern and automatically uses airflow pressure to prevent pauses in your breathing while you’re asleep.

Dental devices and surgery for sleep apnea

If you’ve tried CPAP and self-help tips and your sleep apnea persists, you may benefit from a dental device or surgical treatment.

Dental devices for sleep apnea

Most dental devices are acrylic and fit inside your mouth, much like an athletic mouth guard. Others fit around your head and chin to adjust the position of your lower jaw. Two common oral devices are the mandibular repositioning device and the tongue retaining device. These devices open your airway by bringing your lower jaw or your tongue forward during sleep.

Dental devices are only effective for mild to moderate sleep apnea. There are also a number of troubling side effects from using this type of treatment, including soreness, saliva build-up, nausea, and damage or permanent change in position of the jaw, teeth, and mouth.

It is very important to get fitted by a dentist specializing in sleep apnea, and to see the dentist on a regular basis for any dental problems that may occur. You may also need to periodically have your dentist adjust the mouthpiece to fit better.

Surgery as treatment for sleep apnea

If you have exhausted other apnea treatment options, you may want to discuss surgical options with your doctor or sleep specialist. Surgery can increase the size of your airway, thus reducing your episodes of sleep apnea.

The surgeon may remove tonsils, adenoids, or excess tissue at the back of the throat or inside the nose. Or, the surgeon may reconstruct the jaw to enlarge the upper airway. Surgery carries risks of complications and infections, and in some rare cases, symptoms can become worse after surgery.

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Authors: Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Robert Segal, M.A. Last updated: April 2012.