What is Sleep Apnea?

One of the things that we treat in our office is sleep apnea.  I think I'll take a few installments here and talk about it, although it's a long and involved discussion.  I think the best way to start is by saying that it's a disease that is much more of a problem than people are aware of.  It is estimated that only 5% or less of people who suffer with sleep apnea are aware they have it, or have been diagnosed.  So, what exactly is it? 


The word "Apnea" means "lack of breath".  When we are asleep, the muscles of the neck, throat, back of the mouth, and tongue all relax.  What this causes is a softening of the tissues, resulting in sagging with gravity.  As these tissues sag, they collapse together with the back of the airway creating a blockage.  When the airway is blocked, the person stops breathing for a period of a few seconds, sometimes even approaching a minute.  Try holding your breath for a minute and see how you feel!  When these episodes occur, the result is surprising.  The body tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure in order to drive oxygenated blood to the tissues.  When this happens once, it's no big deal.  When this happens dozens of times during a single night, night after night, it causes problems with the blood vessels and other organs. 

So how does a person know if they have it?  An easy place to start is by visiting the internet.  Spend some time reading on the website of the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine, a wing of the dental profession that focuses on helping people with sleep apnea.  It's at http://www.aadsm.org.  You can also visit our website at http://www.breatheatnight.com.  We have some self-tests that you can complete to gauge your risk.  I'll discuss this further in future installments!