What Is Sleep Or Snoring Apnea?
Snoring Versus Snoring Apnea
It is important that a distinction is made between simple snoring and snoring apnea. Lots of people snore; in fact, one in two people (or half of the population of the U.S.) will snore at some point in time during their lifetime. While snoring in and of itself does not pose a health concern, loud snoring can certainly disrupt sleeping patterns and cause problems in any household.
Snoring apnea, however, is a medical condition that requires medical attention.
Around one in five adults and a small percentage of children (average of 2 in 100) have snoring apnea. Snoring apnea is characterized by an obstruction in breathing during sleep. This may be due to excess tissue, enlarged tonsils or large tongue, or problems with the muscles of the airways or nasal passages, or even by the position of the jaw during sleep.
During period of snoring apnea, breathing ceases. This cessation of breathing is scientifically referred to as an “apnea”. When the brain realizes that breath has ceased, it signals the person to wake up just enough to begin breathing again. A clinical diagnosis of snoring apnea occurs when a person experiences 30 apnea incidences within a seven hour cycle of sleep. In severe cases of snoring apnea, the sufferer may cease breathing for as long as a minute and a half and may have up to 500 period of apnea in a seven hour period.
Symptoms of Snoring Apnea
Most people who are afflicted with snoring apnea may consider their quality of sleep to be excellent, and may be totally unaware of the condition. Oftentimes, the sleeping partner will notice the periods of breathing cessation, or the sufferer will feel drowsy during the daytime although they thought they slept well.
Let’s look at some signals that snoring apnea might be present:
- cessation or pausing in breathing during sleep
- excessive drowsiness during the day, even when sleeping through the night
- gasping during sleep
- choking during sleep
- restless sleeping
- mental fogginess
- inability to focus
- high blood pressure
- chest pains at night
- depression
- irritability
- neck larger than 16″ in women, 17″ in men
- excess weight
- headaches in the morning
- decreased libido
- frequent need to urinate at night
Diagnosing Snoring Apnea
If you or someone you love have been experiencing symptoms of snoring apnea, it is important that you consult with your medical professional as soon as possible as the condition can be fatal. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon can make an accurate diagnosis of snoring apnea, and can order sleep tests to confirm the diagnosis. Before referring you for sleep studies and during your initial consultation, your doctor will likely perform a head and neck exam and take an accurate medical history. Your doctor may also want to interview your sleeping partner regarding your sleep behaviors.
After making several considerations, you may be sent for sleep tests at a sleep clinic. This type of test is called a polysomnograph. A polysomnograph requires you to sleep overnight while being monitored on a video camera. A split night study may be performed; this type of study utilizes a C-PAP device which provides continues positive pressure to the airway during sleep. Based on the sleep studies that are conducted, your doctor will be able to format a treatment plan to address your snoring apnea.
Snoring Apnea Treatments
There are various treatment options available for treating snoring apnea. The type of treatment that is recommended for your particular situation and condition will depend upon the severity of the apnea. Non-medical behavioral modification techniques are often quite sufficient to treat mild cases of snoring or sleep apnea, including weight loss, reducing or avoiding consumption of caffeine or alcohol, and changing sleeping positions that are typical for your sleeping pattern.
For moderate apnea, the nightly use of a C-PAP device may be ordered. Severe cases of snoring apnea may require surgical interventions like hyoid suspension or Maxillomandibular advancement. We discuss treating snoring apnea in greater detail in our article, Snoring Apnea: Treatment Options.
