What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops during the night while we sleep. During sleep the muscles relax and the upper airway narrows or closes. As a consequence, the air we receive decreases and the concentration of oxygen in the blood decreases. The brain is very sensitive to anoxia, it detects that you are not breathing well and produces a small awakening reaction that allows to open the VAS (upper airway) again. This awakening is usually not remembered the next morning. Repeated awakenings turn the night into a “boxing match”, we need to sleep and we need to breathe and the apneic does not manage to do either well, so his sleep is fragmented, not very restorative and he wakes up tired.
Is there any treatment to treat sleep apnea?
First of all, it is important to detect sleep apnea syndrome, for this it is necessary to perform a polysomnography. It is a test that is performed during the night in which sleep states are recorded (which are affected by apneas), as you breathe and oxygen saturation among other parameters. Depending on the severity of sleep apnea the specialist will decide on one treatment or another.
If the apnea syndrome is mild, weight loss, if overweight, sleeping in lateral decubitus or adapting a positional device that prevents the patient from sleeping on the back can be effective treatments. In some cases, the dentist may fit a MAD, mandibular advancement device.
If the apnea syndrome is severe, treatment with a continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP) is very effective. CPAP is a compressor that sends air from outside to a mask placed on the patient’s nose with sufficient pressure to open the VAS (upper airway) and restore regular and quiet breathing, so that sleep becomes deep and effective again.
How should a person suffering from sleep apnea sleep: any specific position…?
Sleeping in one position or another does not guarantee that you will not experience apneas. However, sleeping on the back makes it easier to make breathing pauses.
Sleeping on your side and with the head of the bed slightly raised decreases the risk of apneas.
How can I detect if I suffer from sleep apnea?
If you snore loudly and your partner or friends tell you that you stop breathing at night, make strange noises or move abruptly.
If you wake up tired, irritable or find it hard to concentrate despite having slept all night.
If you are hypertensive and it is difficult to control your high blood pressure.
If your snoring is louder and more intense as you gain weight and you feel tired.