Sleep apnea is characterized by short pauses in breathing during sleep. This condition may be caused by obstruction in your upper airway (obstructive sleep apnea) or changes to how your brain sends signals for breathing (central sleep apnea).
Sleep apnea patients frequently report severe fatigue and daytime sleepiness, which can create problems at work and at home.
Obesity
Obesity increases the risk of sleep apnea, which is characterized by brief interruptions to breathing while asleep. Central sleep apnea may occur as a result of disturbed brain communication (central sleep apnea) or due to physical obstruction of either upper or lower airway (obstructive sleep apnea), with 20 percent or more people who are obese experiencing symptoms associated with this form of obstructive apnea.
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea increases a person’s risk for heart disease and may increase their likelihood of experiencing a heart attack or stroke, and may contribute to other medical problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes. Individuals living with untreated obstructive sleep pnea have an 80% greater chance of needing cardiac treatments such as pacemakers or surgery for irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation).
Obstructive sleep apnea symptoms include fatigue and difficulty staying awake during the day, headaches, irritability, memory problems, depression and poor concentration. They may have negative impacts on relationships with family and coworkers as well as increasing car accident risks due to drowsy driving.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) affects men and women equally, though its risk increases for older males. OSA is associated with sex, body weight and certain anatomical features of the head and neck, including family history of OSA as well as smoking; additionally it may increase in individuals sleeping on their backs, having nasal congestion or taking certain medications (sedatives and alcohol).
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and untreated obstructive sleep apnea can increase the risk of heart attacks and failure. Sleep apnea also increases arrhythmias – abnormal heart rhythms known as arrhythmias can occur regularly and lead to cardiogenic shock, while people living with sleep apnea also increase their chance of stroke.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is most frequently seen among adults, although children may also be affected. Adenotonsillitis and obesity can both increase muscle tone in the throat during sleep and cause obstruction to airways; medications and general anesthesia may further exacerbate OSA symptoms.
Sleep apnea symptoms often include loud snoring that disturbs bed partners, feeling unrefreshed upon awakening, and daytime fatigue. It has also become more widely recognised among patients with chronic high blood pressure as well as those suffering from unexplained heart failure or diabetes. Randomised placebo controlled trials have demonstrated that treatment of sleep apnea using continuous positive airway pressure results in significant improvements to quality of life, vigilance and mood.
There are various quality of life questionnaires available, including the Montreal Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index (SAQLI). This instrument was created through interviewing patients about which aspects of their disorder they valued most and has good face validity. Other instruments like the SF-36 may not detect changes caused by sleep apnea as easily; while SAQLI displays both convergent and discriminant validity among sleep apnea patients as well as showing responsiveness to improvements caused by using CPAP.
Liver Disease
Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by multiple breathing interruptions during sleep that prevent quality restorative rest, leading to poor quality rest and in turn increasing heart disease, diabetes, depression and other long-term health conditions. Furthermore, it may aggravate existing conditions like high blood pressure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Studies on sleep apnea treatment have repeatedly demonstrated its benefits on quality of life, yet many studies only use one measure – usually the apnea-hypopnoea index – to evaluate quality of life, without considering other symptoms or function measures. There are various disease specific questionnaires designed to assess quality of life for specific disorders; one such assessment, Quebec Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index3 described in Thorax3 has undergone construct validation and can detect changes with new therapies being introduced.
Generic instruments like the Short Form 36 Health Survey are often utilized in clinical trials, yet these measures lack the capability of discriminating between patient groups. Disease specific indices – like those used in this study – tend to be more sensitive and can potentially detect differences among groups not picked up by generic measures.
To maximize the benefits of CPAP therapy, patients should make lifestyle adjustments. They should avoid sleeping on their back whenever possible and limit alcohol intake as both factors can exacerbate sleep apnea. Any new doctors they visit should also be informed about obstructive sleep apnea to ensure it does not go overlooked or misdiagnosed; finally they may wish to consider special products to promote sleeping without exacerbating sleep apnea such as anti-snoring mouthpieces.
Depression
Sleep is essential to our overall well-being. When suffering from a sleep disorder, its impact can significantly reduce quality of life; thus it’s essential that it be treated if we want to make the most out of life.
Sleep apnea can have serious repercussions for your health if left untreated, including increased risks for heart disease and metabolic conditions such as diabetes. Furthermore, untreated apnea has also been linked to depression as well as symptoms that interfere with daily functioning and could even result in stroke.
Sleep apnea has long been linked to high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as several endocrine conditions – from thyroid problems and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to large waistlines that increase your risk for obesity.
Improve your quality of life by eating well, losing weight and exercising regularly. Medication may also be necessary to decrease blood pressure if necessary; therapy may help if depressive disorders exist; while devices like CPAP may improve breathing while sleeping.
Studies of CPAP therapy for sleep apnea have reported on quality-of-life measures, typically measuring the apnea-hypopnea index reduction. To address construct validity concerns and measure treatment effect more sensitively than generic quality-of-life instruments or symptom-based questionnaires, visiting a TMJ Doctor is a good start. One such quality-of-life questionnaire designed specifically for this condition is the Calgary Sleep Apnoea Quality of Life Questionnaire; its items have been shown to correlate with other quality of life measures.
Memory Loss
Sleep is essential to health in terms of mind, body, and soul. Unfortunately, those suffering from obstructive sleep apnea may suffer frequent disruptions in breathing during the night which can reduce oxygen levels in their bloodstream and result in serious health problems, according to research done by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Obstructive sleep apnea can cause memory loss by interfering with our brain’s ability to form new neural connections that aid us in remembering things. An impaired memory can have far reaching repercussions for quality of life including depression and increased risk for accidents.
Central sleep apnea occurs when muscle weakness causes airways to narrow and close off during sleep, typically caused by conditions like heart disease, diabetes or asthma. It’s more prevalent among men aged middle-aged and older people and men who have had previous strokes; other risk factors could include having high blood pressure; taking medications known as sedatives, narcotic analgesics or general anesthetics to relax muscle relaxants may increase risk as well.
Obstructive sleep apnea treatment includes treating any medical conditions causing sleep disruptions as well as using devices like PAP (positive airway pressure) machines to keep airways open while you’re sleeping. Lifestyle modifications, weight loss or surgery may also be possible options to combating it; doing so could prevent or resolve serious medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and depression – not forgetting memory loss issues!
The Quebec Sleep Questionnaire, or QSQ, has been found to possess construct validity, meaning it correlates with other quality-of-life and functional status measures such as the SF-36, Symptom Checklist-90 and Epworth Sleepiness Scale for measuring severity indices related to obstructive sleep apnea severity indices such as Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Furthermore, its floor and ceiling effects are minimal, providing more reliable data as changes occur within patients living with OSA.
