What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder that causes a person to stop breathing frequently during sleep. As a result, the body does not get enough oxygen. The sufferer experiences restless, broken and non-restorative sleep. In severe cases, people are awakened hundreds of times during the night . Most people are completely unaware of these sleep interruptions.

Sleep Apnea is a potentially life threatening condition that can be easily diagnosed and effectively treated. Untreated, OSA tends to get progressively worse. It is important to discuss this issue with your family doctor.

What are the risks of untreated sleep apnea?

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Fatigue-related motor vehicle and work accidents
• Decreased concentration and memory
• Decreased quality of life

What are the signs or symptoms of sleep apnea?

The most common symptom of sleep apnea is snoring. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Other symptoms may include:

• Daytime sleepiness or fatigue
• Loud or frequent snoring
• Silent pauses in breathing
• Choking or gasping sounds
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Insomnia
• Morning headaches
• Nocturia (waking during the night to go to the bathroom)
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory loss
• Decreased sexual desire
• Irritability

What is snoring and how is it different from sleep apnea?

During normal sleep, the muscles controlling the tongue and soft palate, although relaxed, hold the airway open. However under some circumstances, the airway becomes narrower, reducing the size of the air passage.

Stronger breathing effort exerted to overcome the narrowing, causes the soft part of throat to vibrate, and the noise of snoring occurs.

The airway can also narrow to some extent without snoring. The airflow to the lungs is therefore reduced and may reduce the amount of oxygen delivered to the body tissues. This may prevent you from getting the best night's sleep.

If the throat is particularly narrow, or the muscles relax too much, the airway can become completely blocked, preventing breathing. This condition is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

After a period of time which can be anything up to two minutes, the brain realizes there is a lack of oxygen. It then alerts the body to wake up. Although the sufferer is now aware of it , this cycle can occur several hundred times during the night, severely disrupting sleep.

What causes the throat to narrow and create snoring or OSA?

There are several different causes. Some of these include increasing age, obesity, and nose or throat problems. Alcohol consumption and sleeping tablets relax the airway muscles potentially causing, or worsening snoring and OSA.

How common is OSA?

OSA is the most common sleep disorder. Although it is more common in men over the age of forty, OSA can affect people at any age - from newborn babies through to adults of either sex. Around 10-15% of the population suffers from OSA, a figure similar to that of asthma or diabetes.

Is OSA life-threatening?

OSA has been linked to a number of serious life threatening conditions including high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and congestive heart failure. As a result of severely disrupted sleep, many people suffering from OSA are excessively tired during the day. Studies have linked this tiredness to increased occurrence of traffic accidents.

More information specific to children & teens

Even brief apneas can cause a child to have low levels of oxygen in the blood because children have smaller lungs, they have less oxygen in reserve.

Children tend to take frequent, shallow breaths rather than slow, deep breaths. This also can cause a child with OSA to have too much carbon dioxide in the blood. Older children and teens are more likely than younger children to have daytime sleepiness

Most children with OSA have a history of snoring. It tends to be loud and may include obvious pauses in breathing and gasps for breath Children with OSA may sleep in unusual positions. They may sleep sitting up or with the neck overextended during sleep and may have headaches in the morning. Bedwetting or sleep terrors also may occur.

It is common for them to breathe through the mouth during the day. In early childhood OSA can slow a child's growth rate. Following treatment for OSA children tend to show gains in both height and weight. Untreated OSA also can lead to high blood pressure. OSA is more likely to occur in a child who has a family member with OSA.

Sleep Apnea is a serious disorder that needs to be treated by a sleep specialist. Surgery involves the removal of the adenoids and tonsils. It reduces the obstruction and increases the size of the upper airway. As a result the child is able to breathe normally.

CPAP may be used if surgery is not an option or if OSA persists after surgery. Some children may benefit from wearing an oral appliance during sleep. Overweight or obese children will benefit from weight loss. This can reduce the frequency and severity of OSA. Usually weight loss is combined with another treatment option.