Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

A potentially deadly sleep problem called sleep apnea is characterized by frequent breathing pauses and starts. Sleep apnea may be present if you snore loudly and still feel exhausted after a full night's sleep.

Sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea have increased daytime fatigue and snort loudly at night. However, some OSA sufferers never experience any symptoms at all, or they may blame other factors for their symptoms. OSA symptoms might appear both during the day and at night.

The Most Common Forms of Sleep Apnea are:

 • The most prevalent type of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, results from relaxed throat muscles.

 • When your brain fails to properly communicate with the breathing muscles during sleep, central sleep apnea results.

 • Occurring when a person has both central and obstructive sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea syndrome is often referred to as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea.

The following are Common Signs of Sleep Apnea:

 • Daytime fatigue or sleepiness

 • The morning after having a sore throat or dry mouth

 • Early morning headaches

 • Inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, sadness, or irritability

 • Sweats at night

 • Issues with sex, such as a decreased sex drive, and insomnia

 • Snoring

 • Having trouble getting out of bed in the mornings, suddenly waking up, and feeling as though you're choking or gasping

 • Frequently waking up in the middle of the night to go potty

 • Elevated blood pressure

 • Disease of gastroesophageal reflux (Gerd)

Consequences of Sleep Apnea Can Include:

 • Daytime drowsiness and difficulty focusing. Children may struggle in school, while adults may be more prone to accidents.

 • Cardiovascular issues include heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeats

 • Eye conditions including glaucoma and dry eye

 • Such as type 2 diabetes, are metabolic disease

 • Obstetrical issues, such as gestational diabetes or low birth weight babies

 • Problems following surgery

It can be challenging for a person to recognize OSA symptoms while they are sleeping, and it may take years for them to do so and seek medical attention. Long-term effects of untreated sleep apnea in the form of excessive daytime fatigue, comments from loved ones, or symptoms in the morning are some of the early warning signs of obstructive sleep apnea.

Children may not have obvious sleep apnea symptoms. You need to know what the sleep apnea symptoms in kids look like: They could consist of the following:

 • Bed-wetting

 • Swallowing or choking

 • Excessive nighttime sweating

 • When they exhale, the ribcage retracts.

 • Issues with behavior and learning

 • School issues sluggishness or drowsiness (often seen as laziness)

 • Snoring

 • Teeth grinding

 • In bed, restlessness

 • Paused or stopped breathing

 • Unusual sleeping positions, like doing so while on one's hands and knees or with one's head cocked way back

Risk Factors of Sleep Apnea

Numerous risks factors for obstructive sleep apnea have been found in the research.

Age: As a person ages, their risk of acquiring OSA rises until they reach a plateau between the ages of 60 and 70.

Sex: Men and those born with the gender designation "man" have the highest risk of OSA. As they approach or have passed menopause, women and those who were assigned female at birth are more at risk.

BMI (body mass index) The BMI, a measured body fat16 based on a person's height and weight, increases a person's risk of having OSA.

Additionally, certain physical characteristics can increase a person's risk of developing OSA, including:

 • A tiny lower jaw or one that is set further back

 • A tongue with an expanded base

 • Enormous tonsils

 • A neck measurement of more than 17 inches

 • Extra body fat around the throat

 • Other risk factors, which are still under investigation but may raise a person's risk of OSA, exist.

 • Cigarette smoking: Compared to persons who have never smoked or people who have quit, smoking can increase the risk of OSA by as much as three times.

 • Family history: Compared to those in families without OSA, immediate relatives of people with OSA are twice as likely to get the disorder themselves. Researchers hypothesize that the same anatomical characteristics, similar behaviors, or a shared environment may be at least partially responsible for this elevated risk.

 • Nasal congestion: An individual's risk of developing OSA may double if they have a stuffy nose. Numerous conditions, such as colds, sinus infections, or the flu, can lead to nasal congestion.

How is Obstructive Sleep Apnea Identified?

Doctors gather a patient's medical history, assess their physical condition, ask about their symptoms, and then refer them for a diagnostic sleep study to determine whether they have obstructive sleep apnea.

Medical History 

A doctor may ask about risk factors and symptoms that manifest both at night and during the day while gathering a patient's medical history. This is important sleep apnea health risks need to be assessed. To check for additional symptoms and assist in distinguishing between OSA and other illnesses, a doctor may occasionally ask a patient to fill out a questionnaire.

Physical Checkup

A physical examination is often conducted by a doctor to look for obesity, physical characteristics that raise the risk of OSA, a person's neck and waist size, and indications of OSA-related health issues.

Sleep Research

Obstructive sleep apnea can be diagnosed, and the severity of breathing disturbances can be assessed using a sleep study. A sleep study, also known as polysomnography, entails an overnight stay at a specialized sleep laboratory, frequently found inside of a sleep clinic or hospital. A portable sleep monitor can occasionally be used to carry out a sleep study at home.

As sleepers might not be aware of their nocturnal symptoms, roommates, bed partners, and loved ones might also be requested to report a person's symptoms.

Treatments

Obstructive sleep apnea treatments aim to resolve breathing disturbances during the night, enhance sleep quality, and lessen health risks. PAP therapy, also known as positive airway pressure, is the main treatment for OSA.

To keep the airway open while you sleep, PAP therapy uses pressurized air that is blasted through a bedside machine and into your nose and/or mouth. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP or BPAP), or auto-titrating positive airway pressure are all options for PAP therapy (APAP).

Alter your sleeping position: Some people have OSA when they sleep on their backs, so avoiding this position could help them feel better. Commercially available straps, training alarms, and strapping a tennis ball to the back are a few techniques that may assist people in learning to avoid sleeping on their backs.

Reduce body weight: For those with obesity or OSA that is brought on by or made worse by excess body weight, weight loss is a crucial first step. Even if you don't lose weight, the exercise by itself may help you sleep better at night.

Avoid triggers: A number of substances can cause OSA to worsen or be triggered, thus, they should be limited or avoided whenever feasible. Alcohol and drugs, such as sedatives, can impair breathing and make it difficult to wake up, which is problematic for those who have OSA.

Chaos. Stigma. Misinformation. When you have TMJ Disorders, there is much more to manage besides symptoms, and there aren't always straightforward solutions. However, there is strength in truth and support, and we are here to offer both.

The center for sleep apnea and TMJ in Utah offers sleep apnea treatment in Utah. Book a consultation with our sleep apnea doctor in Utah.