Deep, sound and restful sleep is important for your health. During sleep, the body recovers and people recharge their batteries for the next day. Sleep disorders can therefore have serious consequences.
Sleep apnoea refers to breathing interruptions during sleep. These pauses in breathing occur irregularly and can last a few seconds or even several minutes.
The body is alerted by the lack of oxygen in the blood caused by the pauses in breathing. This warning system prevents suffocation during sleep asphyxiation.
Many sufferers cannot remember these nocturnal breathing interruptions. In some cases, they do not even wake up completely, but merely enter a different sleep phase.
This condition is also known as sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) or obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). In some cases, it is also referred to as central sleep apnea (CSA).
People who live alone in particular run the risk of developing sleep apnoea that is not detected and treated. They only experience the initially obvious symptoms, such as daytime tiredness.
Causes of sleep apnoea
In many cases, narrowed or obstructed airways promote sleep apnoea. People who snore are particularly at risk. However, existing sleep apnoea is also easy to notice: If they snore loudly and then stop snoring for a few seconds or even minutes, they are suffering from sleep apnoea. Breathing usually resumes with a single, loud snoring sound.
In the case of constricted breathing muscles, this is referred to as obstructive sleep apnoea. The nervous system sends the impulse to take a breath. However, this cannot be implemented due to the constricted airways. The body has to exert more force than the respiratory muscles can provide. This results in breathing stops.
There are several causes of airway constriction. It is particularly noticeable that the majority of those affected are overweight. Fatty tissue can also accumulate in the upper airways and lead to problems.
Central sleep apnoea is much less common than obstructive sleep apnoea. Here the cause lies in the brain. A disorder prevents the brain from transmitting the breathing command to the respiratory muscles.
The brain only triggers breathing again when the oxygen content in the blood drops to a dangerous level.
What makes sleep apnoea dangerous and what consequences can it have?
These are the possible consequences of untreated sleep apnoea:
The person affected is not rested and well-rested due to the sometimes frequent interruptions in breathing. This carries over to the next day. The tiredness can be so severe that it leads to restrictions in working life.
Daytime tiredness or lack of concentration are just some of the symptoms. The lack of oxygen in the blood can damage important organs such as the heart and brain.
When the body is put on alert by the falling oxygen levels, blood pressure also rises. Elevated blood pressure, in turn, can lead to heart attacks or strokes if left untreated.
If no cause can be found for the abnormal values in high blood pressure patients, sleep apnoea could be the cause. This is often not mentioned, as patients do not even know that they are suffering from it.
How is sleep apnea diagnosed?
The symptoms are not always easy to diagnose as the patient is unable to identify the symptoms. It is often the patient's partner who points this out. If this is the case, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible.
Treatment is often provided by a specialist. In many cases, the patient is referred to a so-called sleep laboratory. Here, specialists monitor the patient's sleep so that information about the exact complaints and symptoms can be obtained.
The diagnosis includes
measurements of the heart and brain frequencies (ECG and EEG) are carried out and
blood pressure and muscle relaxation are measured.
Alternatively, the doctor can also give the patient measuring instruments to take home. These instruments are then also used to check various parameters, including
Oxygen saturation in the blood,
the respiratory movements,
the respiratory airflow or
the general position when sleeping.
In some cases, for example, lying on your back can promote the narrowing of the airways.
How is sleep apnea treated?
Patients who are overweight should reduce their body weight. In addition, consume little or no alcohol or nicotine before sleeping. In addition, sleeping pills and muscle relaxants can cause discomfort.
A bite splint is used to correct the position of the jaw.
In particularly severe cases, the use of a breathing mask is the last resort to remedy the symptoms. This breathing mask is connected to an oxygen device and helps to ensure that the air supply is not interrupted. However, these devices are very expensive and are often only partially covered by health insurance companies.
In most - milder - cases, the measures mentioned above will already help.
