Learn more about the condition known as sleep apnea, the different types of sleep apnea: symptoms, diagnosis and therapies
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a clinical condition that occurs when there are temporary stops of breathing during sleep. Commonly, there are two types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea, due to problems with throat muscles relaxing and narrowing or blocking the airways; and central sleep apnea which occurs when the brain does not correctly control breathing, mostly secondary to living at high altitude, stroke, or use of opioids.
As result the brain will experience oxygen deficits which usually activate a survival reflex that wakes people up to start breathing again. In most cases, sleep apnea manifests as a cycle and can occur several times an hour throughout the entire night. Some recent studies showed that the condition can also be linked to various health problems such as obesity, stroke, and heart disease. Interestingly, sleep apnea is associated with cognitive impairment, including deficits in attention, memory, and for this reason considered a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
Often the subject with sleep apnea is not aware of the condition because the symptoms are not easily appreciated. However, classical symptoms include snoring, waking up repeatedly during the night, and pauses in breathing or unusual patterns such as fast breathing while sleeping that gets deeper, then shallower again. Other symptoms are insomnia, night sweats, restlessness, waking up feeling short of breath or choking. On the other hand, children with sleep apnea may manifest symptoms like hyperactivity, poor performance in school, and frequent arm or leg movements while asleep. For more information about sleep medicine visit, visit American Academy of Sleep Medicine, www.aasm.org.
Diagnosing the condition typically involves a sleep study, which until recently often involved an overnight stay in a clinical environment, but more recently patients can do the exam at home by using a kit that includes easy-to-attach sensors, a finger clip that measures oxygen levels, and an airflow sensor that fits into the nostrils. The data collected from the devices are then downloaded and interpreted by health care providers.
Treatment for sleep apnea depends on its type and severity. If it's mild, patients may be encouraged to exercise more often, stick to a regular sleep schedule, maintain a healthy weight, treat nasal congestion, quit smoking, and start sleeping on their sides to keep airways open. If symptoms persist or are more severe, patients may be prescribed a continuous positive airway pressure machine. The device provides constant air pressure throughout the upper airways to keep them open and help patients breathe while they sleep. For most of obese patients, it can be cured with weight loss. Surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids may eliminate sleep apnea in children. In cases of central sleep apnea, reducing the use of opioids and treating conditions like heart failure may resolve symptoms.
For more information, please visit American Academy of Sleep Medicine, www.aasm.org, or the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. NHLBI.NIH.gov.
For broad information and resources related to Alzheimer’s disease, click here to visit Alzheimer’s Association website. Or connect with other great resources, National Institute on Aging or American Federation for Aging Research.
If you are interested in learning more:
Domenico Praticò, MD, holds the position of the Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation Chair for Alzheimer’s Research and serves as a Professor and the Founding Director of the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple, as well as a Professor of Neural Sciences at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
For more information on the research conducted by Dr. Domenico Pratico, please visit this link.
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Stay updated with the work happening at Dr. Domenico Pratico's lab by visiting the Pratico Lab website.
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