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I Learned I Have Sleep Apnea. It’s More Serious Than Many People Realize.

There are several reasons the condition often goes undiagnosed and untreated. For one, it’s not always evident you have it. Though sleep apnea disrupts sleep, you usually remain unconscious while it does so, and not everyone with the condition notices feeling tired or snores in ways that seem problematic. I can attest to the fact that even light sleepers and occasional (non-heroic) snorers (like me) can have sleep apnea and not know it.

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 Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

Drug combination targeting lax airways is nearing an FDA submission. For people who wear a cumbersome mask to bed to avoid the life-threatening, long-term effects of a serious breathing disease, the prospect of shedding the headgear for a single pill taken at bedtime has been the stuff of dreams. Now, those dreams appear likely to become reality for at least some people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), who stop breathing dozens or hundreds of times during the night, causing their blood oxygen to drop before they subconsciously awake. Top-line results from a large clinical trial, released this week, showed a combination of two medications in one pill stimulates muscles that keep the airway open, sharply decreasing breathing disruptions.

 The toll that sleep apnea takes on the body

Even mild sleep apnea can cause you to stop breathing several times an hour—setting off a cascade of threats to your brain and heart health.

Articles of Interest

Generation Apnea

The evolutionary mistake that chokes millions of people every night.

Patient Voices: Sleep Apnea

Getting a good night’s rest is essential for good health, but people with sleep apnea aren’t able to succumb to slumber. Affecting an estimated 100 million people world-wide, obstructive sleep apnea causes episodes of stopped breathing during sleep, and the result is a fragmented, restless sleep that leaves sufferers exhausted and drowsy during the day. Here, five men and women speak about living with sleep apnea.

'I’m Possibly Alive Because It Exists:' Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

An Australian hacker has spent thousands of hours hacking the DRM that medical device manufacturers put on CPAP machines to create a free tool that lets patients modify their treatment.

Do You Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Feeling groggy? Does your bed partner observe you gasping for air at night? If so, you might have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). One of the most common sleep disorders, OSA affects approximately 5 to 6 percent of the adult population and 2 percent of children.

Explainer: what is obstructive sleep apnoea?

Although the OSA patient is likely unaware, the airway typically reopens when they awaken from sleep, usually for a period of three to 15 seconds. These intermittent breathing disruptions and arousals, which can occur more than 100 times per hour in severe cases, lead to low oxygen levels (hypoxia) and interrupt sleep continuity.

For Sleep Apnea Patients, a Possible Alternative to Masks

The standard treatment for people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is a mask worn at night that helps them breathe without interruption. The mask is unwieldy and uncomfortable, however; one study found that 46 percent to 83 percent of patients with obstructive sleep apnea do not wear it diligently. Now scientists may have found an alternative, at least for some patients: a pacemaker-like device implanted in the chest that stimulates a nerve in the jaw...

How Treating Sleep Apnea Can Also Improve Depression Symptoms

For people with depression and obstructive sleep apnea, using a nightly device to improve breathing while asleep may also improve depression symptoms, according to a new review of the evidence.

New Study Gives Hope To Sleep Apnea Sufferers Who Can't Tolerate CPAP

The FDA approved the Inspire® device for use in patients who are unresponsive to or intolerant of other treatments for OSA in 2014. “This device operates by generating electrical stimulation, which advances the tongue forward and opens the pharyngeal airway during respiration. It is made up of three implanted elements: a breathing sensor, a small electrical impulse generator and a hypoglossal nerve stimulator,” the doctors reported. Implantation can be done on an outpatient basis.

Not Just a Man's Disease -- Women Get Sleep Apnea Too!

Decades ago, heart disease was thought of as a "man's disease" before well-targeted public education campaigns increased cardiac illness recognition among women and its profound impact on their health. Similarly, one of the most common sleep disorders, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has received a masculine label.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity: A Closer Look

The Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), also known as your AHI score, objectively measures the number of respiratory events you average per hour of sleep during a home-based or lab-based sleep study. Mild OSA – Averaging between 5 and 15 respiratory events per hour. Really important!. Mild OSA isn’t the same as no OSA. Mild OSA still poses the same risks to the human body if left untreated. Moderate OSA – Averaging between 15 and 30 respiratory events per hour. Severe OSA – Averaging more than 30 respiratory events per hour.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Recommendations Released

Got sleep apnea? Official treatment recommendations released Sept. 23 point to two complimentary approaches: Lose weight and undergo treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Surgery, on the other hand, should not be considered as an initial treatment, as evidence is limited on its effects, the recommendations say.

Sleep Apnea Alternatives, Minus the CPAP Mask

Sleep apnea patients may soon have several new treatments to choose from. Not one involves an annoying face mask. Implants, nasal attachments and other substitutes for the most common treatment.

Sleep Apnea Can Have Deadly Consequences

The condition is on the rise because the most frequent cause is obesity, which continues its unrelenting climb among American adults.

Study Bolsters New Sleep Apnea Device

A possible alternative for people who can't tolerate the traditional CPAP.

The Annoying Thing You're Doing In Bed That Might Be A Total Turn-Off

If there's one thing we think it's safe to say is almost always a bummer in the bedroom, it's snoring.

This Sleep Condition Is More Common Than Depression

Just about everyone can name someone who snores like a chainsaw -- but a cloud of mystery and denial still swirls around the condition often confused for regular old snoring, sleep apnea.

Treating Sleep Apnea Without the Mask

Now an alternative form of C.P.A.P. is gaining popularity: a patch that fits over the nostrils. Called Provent, the patch holds two small plugs, one for each nostril, that create just enough air pressure to keep the airways open at night. It is far less intrusive than the traditional C.P.A.P. machine. It is also more expensive, and it doesn’t work for every patient.

Understanding Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder. It causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep. There are several types of sleep apnea, but the most common is obstructive sleep apnea. This type of apnea occurs when your throat muscles intermittently relax and block your airway during sleep. A noticeable sign of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring.

Unmasking Sleep Apnea Treatments: What to Try If CPAP Doesn't Work for You

You've likely heard of the "gold standard" for sleep apnea treatment, a machine with a running motor, tubing and a face mask called a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. However, for many sleep apnea sufferers, relief lies far from the mask in an effective alternative treatment called oral appliance therapy.

Resources

SleepApnea.org

Enhancing the lives of those with sleep apnea.

SleepApnea.Sleep-Disorders.net

SleepApnea.Sleep-Disorders.net is a community for people affected by sleep apnea. Learn, share and connect with peers and healthcare professionals

SNORE Australia

SNORE Australia is Australia's largest groups of sleep disorders centres. Our mission is to provide high quality, affordable sleep studies, so that every patient referred to us can achieve optimal medical care for their sleep problem, regardless of their financial status.

CPAPTalk.com

Find support, encouragement, and advice about sleep apnea.

IHateCPAP

I HATE CPAP! is an organization of dentists that strives to offer all our patients the most appropriate sleep apnea treatments available. By evaluating, diagnosing and treating your symptoms of sleep apnea, we will work to reduce or minimize your sleep difficulties and help you enjoy a long healthy life with restful nights of sleep. We understand the value of uninterrupted sleep, and our treatments can improve your quality of life and restore your good health.

Sleep Apnea Guide

Sleep-Apnea-Guide.com - help and advice for people with sleep apnea. Get the knowledge and support to find the best treatment You need.

Sleep Apnoea Trust Association

Working to improve the lives of sleep apnoea patients,their partners and their families. Managed by volunteers SATA is regarded as the leading UK charity working in the field of Sleep Apnoea

SleepApnea.com

Sleep better at night. Be more productive during the day. It’s time to live the life you want.

The Sleep Foundation

The National Sleep Foundation offers a number of resources to help patients who are currently suffering from or think that they may have sleep apnea.

American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine

Sleep apnea patient are often older, obese and have thick necks, but men and women of any age or body type can have sleep apnea. The sleep disorder progressively worsens with age and weight gain.

MayoClinic

There are two main types of sleep apnea: •Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax •Central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing If you think you might have sleep apnea, see your doctor. Treatment is necessary to avoid heart problems and other complications.

MedicineNet

The nonsurgical treatments for obstructive sleep apnea include behavior therapy, medications, dental appliances, continuous positive airway pressure, bi-level positive airway pressure, and auto-titrating continuous positive airway pressure.

MedlinePlus

Sleep apnea is a common disorder that causes your breathing to stop or get very shallow. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more an hour. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea. It causes your airway to collapse or become blocked during sleep. Normal breathing starts again with a snort or choking sound. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. You are more at risk for sleep apnea if you are overweight, male, or have a family history or small airways. Children with enlarged tonsils may also get it.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed. Doctors usually can't detect the condition during routine office visits. Also, no blood test can help diagnose the condition. Most people who have sleep apnea don't know they have it because it only occurs during sleep. A family member or bed partner might be the first to notice signs of sleep apnea.

NHS

There are two types of breathing interruption characteristic of OSA: •apnoea – where the muscles and soft tissues in the throat relax and collapse sufficiently to cause a total blockage of the airway; it is called an apnoea when the airflow is blocked for 10 seconds or more •hypopnoea – a partial blockage of the airway that results in an airflow reduction of greater than 50% for 10 seconds or more.

Patient

The widely accepted definition of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a clinical condition in which there is intermittent and repeated upper airway collapse during sleep. This results in irregular breathing at night and excessive sleepiness during the day. OSA is a worldwide phenomenon. Studies suggest a prevalence in Western countries of 3-7% of middle-aged men and 2-5% of middle-aged women.

Thoracic.org

OSA is more common in men, women after menopause and people who are over the age of 65. OSA can also occur in children.