Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. People who have obstructive sleep apnea cease breathing while they are asleep because of a complete or partial blockage of the airway. A number of people with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing many times during their sleep, sometimes for longer than a minute at a time.
The blockage in most sufferers is the passage in their own mouths from the soft palate to the base of the tongue. Muscles keep this area open when a person with obstructive sleep apnea is alert. When sleeping, these muscles relax causing the soft palate and tongue to block breathing. The airway shuts; the person stops breathing and then wakes up trying to breathe again. The person falls back to sleep only to wake up many times, from five to one-hundred times per night.
The brief waking and returning to sleep only lasts a few seconds. It is enough time to prevent the person from achieving deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Everyone needs deep and REM sleep to wake up refreshed and revitalized each morning.
The three main risk factors for developing obstructive sleep apnea are:
1. Age - As people grow older, they lose muscle mass, which makes the airway soft and slender. When sleeping these weaker muscles relax, forming the obstruction.
2. Being Male - Men are at greater risk of getting obstructive sleep apnea.
3. Weight Gain - Weight gain contributes to obstructive sleep apnea. Extra fat causes the airway to close in when the muscles around it relax.
Other factors that put a person at risk of getting obstructive sleep apnea include:
Drug and alcohol abuse
Down Syndrome
Family history
Large adenoids and/or tonsils
Muscle disorders
Nasal congestion
Receding chin
Smoking
Thyroid disease
The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
Personality changes
Daytime sleepiness
Depression
Falling asleep while driving
Frequently waking up during sleep
Inability to achieve deep sleep
Headaches
High blood pressure
Impotence
Memory loss
Obesity
Snoring
Tiredness
Complications coming from obstructive sleep apnea include:
