What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea -- a condition in which your tongue and soft palate collapse onto the back of your throat during sleep. This blocks your airway and, when your oxygen level drops low enough, it forces your brain to move out of deep sleep to partially awaken you. You awaken repeatedly with a loud gasp and return to sleep.

You most likely are not aware that your sleep is being interrupted, but the person sleeping next to you often is aware of it. The most visible and audible symptom is loud snoring, with periods of stopped breathing followed by a loud snort or gasp.

Sleep apnea is a relatively rare breathing disorder characterised by loud snoring and periods of arrested breathing during sleep (the Greek word apnea means ‘lack of breath’). Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. An individual who suffers from sleep apnea is up to four times more likely to have a stroke and three times more likely to have heart diseases.

Sleep apnea also contributes to depression, anxiety, memory problems, weight gain, and impotency.

Sleep apnea is more common in men. One out of 25 middle-aged men and one out of 50 middle-aged women have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is more common as you get older. At least one out of 10 people over the age of 65 suffers from sleep apnea. Women are much more likely to develop sleep apnea after menopause.

People who have small airways in their noses, throats, or mouths are more likely to have sleep apnea. Children often have enlarged tonsil tissues in the throat. This can make them prone to developing sleep apnea later in life.

If left untreated, sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. It can increase the chances of work related accidents.

The following lifestyle changes can control sleep apnea.

• Lose weight.
• Minimise your intake of alcohol, anti-histamines and tranquilisers.
• Get treated for allergies and colds, or sinus problems.
• Gargle with salt water to shrink your tonsils.
• Develop regular sleep habits.
• Sleep on your side rather than on your back or with your body elevated from the waist up. You can use foam wedges to raise your upper body.

If we are what we eat, then we’d better start cutting back on the fat and cholesterol-laden foods, lest we become people burdened with sleep apnea.

A recent study found links between obstructive sleep apnea and a diet high in fat, fatty acids and cholesterol, especially for women. The findings held up even after factoring out obesity. Though sleep apnea has long been associated with obesity, usually diets are not broken down to examine what people are eating.

Researchers believe that since respiratory disturbance was linked to poor diets independent of obesity, sleep apnea might have some consequence on hormones that regulate appetite. They also float the possibility of a connection between apnea-disrupted sleep and a greater craving for fatty foods.

A new study has revealed that people suffering from severe obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disordered breathing condition, are more likely to consume unhealthy food, which may be a factor contributing to greater cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.