Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea cease breathing while they are asleep because of a complete or partial obstruction of the airway. Many people with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing many times during their sleep, sometimes 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. Whilst the sufferer is asleep, these muscles relax causing the soft palate and tongue to block breathing. The airway shuts; the sufferer stops breathing and then wakes up in an attempt to breathe again. The sufferer falls back to sleep only to wake up repeatedly, from five to one-hundred times per night.
The brief waking up and going back to sleep only lasts a few seconds. It is long enough to prevent the person from achieving deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Everyone needs deep and REM sleep to wake up refreshed and revitalized every day.
Three of the main risk factors for developing obstructive sleep apnea are:
1. Age - As people get older, their muscle mass is reduced, 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 makes the airway close when the muscles around it relax.
Other factors that put 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
Some of the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
Change in personality
Daytime sleepiness
Depression
Falling asleep at the wheel
Often waking up during sleep
Inability to achieve deep sleep
Headaches
High blood pressure
Impotence
Memory loss
Obesity
Snoring
Tiredness
Complications stemming from obstructive sleep apnea include:
