The severity of sleep apnea is determined during a sleep study using a scale called the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), which measures the number of decreases in your airflow while you sleep.  These decreases in airflow are caused when the airway collapses and temporarily cuts off breathing, reducing oxygen in the bloodstream during sleep.

The consequences of leaving any form of sleep apnea untreated pose serious threats to your health, including stroke. Don’t let the word “mild” make you feel like you can ignore this condition. Stroke is a real risk for everyone suffering from sleep apnea, especially men. The risk of stroke can double in men with mild sleep apnea and triple in men with moderate sleep apnea.

Strokes have a wide range of effects that impact a person’s quality of life. Since the brain is complex, the effects of a stroke can be different, depending on the specific area of the brain affected.  Stroke complications include impaired vision, speech problems, memory loss, behavioral changes and paralysis on the left or right side of the body. Also, those who have sleep apnea and suffer a stroke may recover more slowly and less successfully during the early stages of recovery.

Stroke is just one of the risks tied to sleep apnea. Other serious conditions like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure are also associated with sleep apnea.

Post a comment below to share your story.

¹ Logan et al. J Hypertens 2001
² O’Keeffe and Patterson. Obes Surg 2004
³ Oldenburg et al. Eur J Heart Fail 2007
⁴ Garrigue et al. Circulation 2007
⁵ Gami et al. Circulation 2004
⁶ Einhorn et al. Endocr Pract 2007
⁷ Sjostrom et al. Thorax 2002
⁸ Schafer Cardiology 1999

When you snore, your sleep is interrupted because your body will send a wake-up signal to your brain, causing you to awaken just enough to restore your muscle tone and open your throat to breathe. This same wake-up signal can also occur if you suffer from central sleep apnea (CSA), which is a form of sleep apnea where your brain doesn’t tell your body to keep breathing when you sleep.

If your body is constantly waking itself up, you are not allowing yourself to go through the entire four-stage sleep cycle—including the deep, restorative stages. Instead, you are constantly going in and out of the initial stages, never reaching the critical deep sleep stages where your body can fully rest.

If you don’t enter these deep sleep stages, you aren’t getting the rest you need to allow your body to fully repair itself. When you don’t get enough sleep, you will lack energy and feel fatigued, constantly trying to catch up on your sleep.

If you leave your sleep apnea untreated, dismissing it as annoying snoring, you could face more serious consequences besides feeling tired all the time. Fatigue puts you at risk for accidents, both at work and while driving. Untreated sleep apnea is also associated with other serious health conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and others.

How soon after starting sleep apnea treatment did you notice that you had more energy? Post a comment below to share your story.

Being a male is another risk factor beyond your control. Age also plays a role, whether you are male or female. Men over 40 and post-menopausal women both tend to be at an increased risk for sleep apnea. Whatever stage of life your sleep apnea diagnosis happens (and it can happen at any stage, even as a child), you will most likely have to manage it throughout your entire life.

There are a variety of treatments that can help you comfortably and effectively manage your sleep apnea. Surgery is an option, but it’s invasive and people often end up needing another treatment like continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy if tissues do not heal well or grow back. CPAP is the gold standard treatment where you wear a mask over your mouth or your nose and mouth as you sleep while using a device that supplies air to your mask. An oral appliances is also another option you can consider.  Even lifestyle changes like losing weight or avoiding alcohol and sedatives may help.

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to managing your sleep apnea is to use your therapy any time you are sleeping, even when you just take a short nap. Another tip for successful treatment is making sure you always have the supplies you need and that you maintain your equipment properly by keeping it clean and replacing them as necessary.

What have you found helpful in managing your sleep apnea? Share your tips by posting a comment below.

As background, “Waking America Up to Sleep Apnea” recently featured a discussion, led by Edward Grandi, Executive Director, American Sleep Apnea Association, about sleep apnea and how people at risk for or living with sleep apnea can ask the right questions and become more involved in their own health.

Listen now to learn more.
ASAA Discussion

As sleep apnea awareness and education continues to gain traction, doctors are becoming more knowledgeable about this serious condition. In the meantime, sleep apnea is something they may not have extensively dealt with. That said, you can prepare for the discussion by writing down your symptoms and even taking a loved one with you since they are often the ones who notice things like snoring and if you stop breathing when you sleep.

If your doctor thinks you might have sleep apnea, they will recommend that you do a sleep study. This can take place at home or in a sleep lab. If you take the home sleep test, you will likely pick up a device (and drop it back off) at your doctor’s office where one of the staff members will give you instructions to ensure your sleep data is recorded. Other home sleep tests may be delivered through the mail with prepaid containers to easily ship it back to be assessed.

Your doctor may want you to do a study in a sleep lab. If so, you can find a sleep lab in your area.  You’ll have your own room, which will look much like a nice hotel room. A sleep technician will get you situated for the night and help you with everything you need while you are there.  After your test, your results will be analyzed and your doctor will work with you to determine the best treatment.

Once you and your doctor decide which treatment is best, you will work with an equipment provider to get the supplies you need. Equipment providers are very friendly and helpful and can even help you stay on track by making sure you replace your supplies as needed.

Do you have tips for a successful sleep apnea treatment journey? Share your treatment story by posting a comment below.

If you are suffering from sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, you are not getting enough quality sleep, which can leave you lacking energy and feeling tired. One of the last things you want to do when you are tired is exercise. When most people don’t exercise, they gain weight. This can lead to a cycle that must be broken to help you take your life back.

A lack of sleep can do more damage than just leaving you feeling tired and not wanting to exercise. Many important functions take place in your body while you sleep that help you maintain a healthy immune system and balance your appetite. While you sleep, hormone levels that play a role in how hungry or full you feel are regulated. Without necessary rest, these levels can be disrupted, making you feel like you need to eat more—leading to weight gain.

When most people gain weight, they gain it everywhere—including their neck. Excess weight in this area can narrow your airway when you lie down. When the air has to squeeze through, it is often heard as snoring or wheezing.

While most of us are uncomfortable with the way gaining weight makes us look, it can lead to other serious conditions like type 2 diabetes, which is why it is so critical to talk to your doctor if you think you might have sleep apnea.

Have you lost weight since starting sleep apnea treatment? Share your story by posting a comment below.

OSA, the most common type of sleep apnea, occurs when your throat relaxes while you sleep and your airway becomes partially or fully blocked.  When this happens, you might snore or stop breathing for a few seconds or longer until your brain sends your body a wake-up signal to start breathing again.

There are a couple of reasons for the correlation between neck size and sleep apnea. People with a thicker neck may have a narrower airway, which makes it more difficult for air to pass through their throat and to the lungs. Instead of having a clear path, the air has to squeeze through, which is heard as snoring or wheezing. If the airway is completely blocked, silence follows during an obstructive (or central) event, followed by a strong gasping for air.

Those who have a larger neck size may also have excess fat deposits near the upper airway that can obstruct breathing. Having excess weight around your neck can also narrow your airway when you lie down, also causing snoring.

Keep in mind, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea and even those who are fit can suffer from sleep apnea. However, if a loved one has told you that you snore or stop breathing during sleep, you should discuss this with your doctor right away. Your physician can measure your neck circumference and use the information in combination with your height and weight to determine if you might be having breathing issues during sleep.

If your doctor thinks you might have sleep apnea, they’ll recommend a sleep test. This test can take place in a sleep lab or even in your home.

References
Mayo Clinic staff. Sleep apnea: Risk factors. Accessed 02/15/2013. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep-apnea/DS00148/DSECTION=risk-factors
National Institutes of Health. Obstructive sleep apnea. Accessed 2/15/2013 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000811.htm

It can be challenging to get a proper diagnosis since sleep apnea and depression share common symptoms like fatigue, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, sexual dysfunction and loss of interest in hobbies or activities. Depression may cause sleep apnea symptoms to surface and sleep apnea could also contribute to or worsen depressive symptoms. Because each person is different, some people might notice symptoms of depression before they notice that they’re having symptoms specific to sleep apnea like loud snoring or nighttime gasping and choking. If you are having any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away and ask to be screened for sleep apnea.

If you doctor feels sleep apnea could be the issue, they will refer you to a sleep specialist for a sleep study, either in a sleep lab or even in your own home. During the test, sensors will collect your sleep data, and a sleep specialist will analyze this data to determine whether you need to proceed with sleep apnea treatment. If so, they will help you select the best treatment option.

Tracking your therapy is easy with our new online tool, SleepSeeker. It allows you to upload elements of your therapy data like usage, leakage and events from your ResMed S9™ card straight into WakeUpToSleep.com.  Once your data is uploaded, you can view it online and use it to stay fully engaged with your therapy, making sure you are compliant each day.

Becoming good at something takes time, and sleep apnea therapy is no different. Ultimately, you want to use your therapy any time you sleep, whether it’s during a quick nap or overnight. Some people find it helpful to gradually ease into therapy, adding time each night, which helps them feel a sense of accomplishment.

SleepSeeker can help you set goals and meet milestones that will allow you to get the restful sleep you need. You have the option of following preset plans, making your own sleep and exercise plans or participating in challenges with other users to keep you motivated to meet your goals.

Getting started with SleepSeeker is easy. If you are already a Wake Up to Sleep member, simply log in to your account to access SleepSeeker. If you aren’t a member yet, all you need to do is join the Wake Up to Sleep community now!

March 20: Twitter chat #SleepApneaChat at 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT)

Michael Breus

Q&A session featuring special guests:

• Michael Breus, Ph.D., “The Sleep Doctor”
• Edward Grandi, Executive Director, American Sleep Apnea Association
• William Headapohl, Wake Up to Sleep Coach and American Sleep Apnea Association Board Member
• Adam Amdur, American Sleep Apnea Association Board Chair and patient advocate

Post your own questions using #SleepApneaChat

April 10: Sleep Apnea discussion from 8:00–9:00 PM ET (5:00–6:00 PM PT)

“Waking America Up to Sleep Apnea” will feature a discussion, led by Edward Grandi, Executive Director, American Sleep Apnea Association, about sleep apnea and how people at risk for or living with sleep apnea can ask the right questions and become more involved in their own health. To participate, please use the following dial-in: (805) 399-1200, access code: 466849#. The discussion will be archived for 90 days after its occurrence.

Edward Grandi

April 18: “Faces of Sleep Apnea” video launch
A compilation of videos will tell the story of the sleep apnea experience to engage and educate those directly or indirectly affected by the condition. Click here  for details on how to submit your success story!

The ASAA offers a comprehensive set of resources for those searching for information. For more information, visit www.sleepapnea.org.