Breathing Space
Do you sleep for eight hours every night and still feel exhausted? Do you wake up with a dry mouth or a low-grade headache?
If any of this sounds familiar, you may have obstructive sleep apnea, which means that your throat closes repeatedly during sleep and breathing stops for 10 or more seconds. Some people stop breathing hundreds of times each night. When the oxygen drops, people may experience a mini arousal from sleep that includes a burst of adrenaline and an increase in blood pressure. Shelley Hershner, M.D., neurologist, University of Michigan Health System, says that people with obstructive sleep apnea don't experience the normal "relaxation and restoration" their bodies are supposed to achieve during sleep. Their heart rate and blood pressure may remain elevated. The immediate impact is sleepiness and lack of concentration, and untreated obstructive sleep apnea puts people at greater risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and even motor vehicle accidents.
Approximately 90 percent of cases of obstructive sleep apnea are undiagnosed. Hershner says that women are especially likely to be undiagnosed because people incorrectly think that loud snoring is the major symptom. She says that the symptoms may present differently in women. Women with sleep apnea are more likely to feel depressed, have low energy, and even have body aches or joint pain.
The good news is that once diagnosed, this condition can be treated. The most common form of treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A patient wears a mask over her nose connected to a box that transmits pressurized air through the nose and into the throat, thereby keeping the airway open.
U-M's Sleep Disorders Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive facilities of its kind in the country. It includes a number of general and specialized sleep disorder clinics, the Michael S. Aldrich Sleep Disorders Laboratory, and the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Laboratory. Call 734-936-9068 to make an appointment.
What is CPAP?
Patients using CPAP devices generally wear a mask over the nose only, though versions are available that cover both the nose and mouth. Air is forced by a flow generator through the intake tube. The pressure created by this air flow is enough to keep the upper airway open. Pressure levels differ from patient to patient and must be determined by a sleep technician. This usually entails spending one night in a sleep lab before using the device at home. Patients who require higher levels of air pressure may need to use a humidifier as well, as the constant air flow can cause the throat to dry out.
Reading List
The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep (Harvard Medical School Guides) by Lawrence Epstein and Steven Mardon
Getting a Good Night's Sleep (A Cleveland Clinic Guide) by Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer
Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health by Dr. Michael Breus
This article appeared in the June/July 08 issue of the Women's Health Newsletter. Read the issue.
