Snoring and Sleep Apnea
By the age of 40, snoring affects almost half of men and almost a quarter of women. This rate increases with every passing decade. Snoring not only affects a partner’s sleep quality, but those who snore are more likely to have Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS), when more severe snoring reduces sleep quality. A smaller percentage of snorers can have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OAS), with frequent episodes of breath stoppage of ten seconds or more during sleep, placing considerable strain on the heart when blood oxygen level drops many times during the night.
Causes
A nasal obstruction involving narrowing of the upper air passages could be the result of a person’s physiology, or the obstruction could be the result of reduced muscle tone. Excess body weight can increase pressure on the airway. Other factors may include smoking, use of alcohol or drugs, fatigue level and heredity.
Assessing the Problem
Physicians can use a screening questionnaire, such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, to rate the extent of sleep disorder. Among other things, screening questions provide a rating of fatigue during daytime and number of nighttime awakenings or apneas.
Your physician can also make a referral for a sleep study to diagnose the condition. If the degree of breath stoppages recorded is moderate (15-30 stoppages per hour) to severe (more than 30 episodes per hour), treatment may be recommended.
Treatment Options
Healthy diet, exercise, and normalized body weight will generally provide better sleep quality.
For some with more serious apnea, Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (nCPAP) Therapy may be recommended by a physician or sleep specialist. This is a pump and nasal hood system which works to keep the airway open during sleep.
The preference of many people with sleep issues resulting from airway obstruction is the use of airway orthotics. Airway Orthotic Therapy (AOT), or anti-snoring appliances, help keep the airway open during sleep by use of a specially fitted appliance worn at night. These devices are very effective in preventing snoring, and reduce nighttime breath stoppages for those with mild sleep apnea.
More on this treatment option in the next blog posting!