People of All Ages Suffer the Effects of Sleep Apnea

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“When someone suffers from sleep apnea, the restorative stages of sleep, including REM stage, are disrupted,” explained Ohio Valley General Hospital Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon Mary Kendall Rago, M.D., FACS. “While this problem often goes undiagnosed, it can have serious effects on a person’s quality of life.”
A person with obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, stops breathing during sleep, often hundreds of times a night. “The back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway, because when a person goes to sleep there is less muscle tone,” explained Dr. Rago, adding that obesity is also a leading cause of sleep apnea in adults. “In children, sleep apnea can be caused by having a large adenoid pad or overly large tonsils.”
Symptoms of sleep apnea include daytime sleepiness, headaches upon awakening, poor attention, grumpiness and falling asleep while driving—all of which can be attributed to poor or fragmented sleep. “In children, sleep apnea can contribute to bedwetting,” explained Dr. Rago, “and in adults, it often results in getting up numerous times during the night to urinate.”
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, left untreated, the disorder can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency and headaches. It may also be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Medical experts have also questioned whether there is any relationship between Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in children and getting a good night’s sleep, but that relationship has not been clearly defined.
Children with sleep apnea are usually ‘diagnosed’ by their parents, who notice that their child is not rested upon awakening in the morning, or that the child is snoring, or is restless or moving around a lot in bed. Often a child with sleep apnea will have difficulty breathing through his or her nose and will have an open mouth all day long. “Most children with these sorts of problems can undergo a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy and the problem is taken care of,” said Dr. Rago of the 30-minute outpatient procedure. “After the tonsils and adenoid pad are removed, most children realize a tremendous improvement in the quality of their sleep and in their attitude. They wake up refreshed.”
While sleep apnea in children is often under diagnosed, Dr. Rago said that the number of cases is increasing. “Unfortunately, with obesity in the American population extending into pediatrics, we’re seeing more children suffering from the disorder,” she said.
In adults, sleep apnea is diagnosed through a sleep study, or polysomnography, performed at a sleep lab where technicians monitor patients’ breathing, oxygen concentration, brain waves and heart rate. “Having a bed partner listening to them is not enough,” said Dr. Rago, “because cases are usually under diagnosed.”
Adults with sleep apnea can be treated with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, which delivers air into the nose and mouth under slight pressure, blowing open the tissues at the back of the throat to prevent a collapsed airway. “The CPAP mask fits snugly over the nose, or the nose and mouth, and it is worn all night,” said Dr. Rago. “While it does mean being hooked up to a machine, most people acclimate to one of the many different ways that it can deliver positive pressure. The technology has improved tremendously over the past 20 years.
“After about a month of using a CPAP machine, users notice how much more refreshed and energized they are,” she added. “This has the increased benefit of helping those whose sleep apnea is caused by obesity, because it enables them to exercise more. Losing weight can markedly improve a person’s sleep apnea.” Surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea is also an option that may be effective in some patients.
Another issue that can affect a person’s sleep, as well as their overall health, is allergies that are left untreated. “Allergies can cause difficulty breathing through the nose, which can contribute to sleep apnea,” said Dr. Rago. “A lot of patients live with allergies and nasal congestion, but they don’t need to. The treatment of allergies is much more sophisticated now, and includes prescription nose sprays, allergy shots and even surgery, if needed.” Dr. Rago advises seeing a PCP or ENT for an evaluation of allergic conditions.
For more information, contact Ohio Valley General Hospital at (412) 777-6205 or visit .www.ohiovalleyhospital.org

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