This is a question my patients often ask me, and I can understand why. Over the past few years, we’ve been hearing more and more about sleep apnoea syndrome, whether in the media, from your doctor or perhaps even from people you know.
The real reason is quite simple! Sleep apnea syndrome is a relatively recent phenomenon. It was first discovered in 19761, and it’s only since 1981 that a proven treatment has been available: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). (CPAP). Since then, a growing body of clinical knowledge and the development of effective and increasingly well-tolerated treatments in recent years have led to greater recognition of sleep-disordered breathing by the medical community.
In other words, doctors and patients are increasingly aware of the importance of this health problem, which can lead to many others if left untreated!
But who are these people who sleep with this mysterious machine called CPAP? And more importantly, why?
What exactly is sleep apnea?
Before going any further, you should know that there are 3 types of sleep apnea, depending on the mechanism involved:
When we talk about sleep apnea, we often refer to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome ( OSA ), as this is the most common type of apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder caused, as its name suggests, by obstructions of the upper airway leading to respiratory arrest (apnea) or a significant reduction in respiratory flow (hypopnea).
While you sleep, gravity and muscle relaxation cause the tongue and soft tissues in the throat to collapse, potentially causing an obstruction and preventing the passage of air. This obstruction causes breathing to stop or become less efficient repeatedly throughout the night, which not only disrupts sleep but also reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood. Several factors can also lead to upper airway narrowing, the best known being obesity, aging and a receding chin. However, I often see young, physically fit patients with sleep apnea. Muscle relaxation during sleep is a phenomenon we can’t control, and as everyone has a tongue…it can sometimes create obstructions as it relaxes.
Interesting fact: the tongue is one of the most powerful organs in the human body, and is made up of 17 muscles… That’s a lot of muscles to relax!
And what is the famous CPAP (or PPC, or APAP) used for? Well, the most effective treatment for OSA is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. Used in conjunction with a mask, this device keeps the airways clear during the night, thus preventing airway obstruction. We’ll be talking more about it in our next blog, I promise!
Do I suffer from sleep apnea?
I sleep all night and I’m still tired!
I’d take a nap at 10 am!
I’m not able to finish reading your blog post because I fall asleep while reading!
Here are a few statements I also hear in my consultations, except for the last one, but you get the picture.
All types of sleep apnea can cause drowsiness or unusual sleepiness during the day. When sleep is disrupted, patients may not have the energy to function normally during the day.
This sleepiness is due to the fragmentation of sleep, which, as a result, is non-recuperative. The https://www.laclefdusommeil.ca/services/depistage/test-en-ligne-depistage/ questionnaire can be a useful tool for self-assessing your level of sleepiness.
Other symptoms include waking headaches, irritability, excessive fatigue, difficulty concentrating and, of course, snoring.
Be careful with snoring! Almost 50% of men and 30% of women over the age of 40 have a snoring problem, but this is only one of the manifestations of OSA. This syndrome is characterized by a combination of different symptoms. This is why a person can snore without necessarily suffering from sleep apnea. The opposite is also true: a person can suffer from OSA without snoring. It should be noted that the majority of individuals with OSA do not have breathing pauses visualized by a bed partner, 50% of them do not snore loudly and 40% are not obese 2-3.
On the other hand, if that same person snores and is tired or drowsy during the day, he or she could talk to his or her doctor about an outpatient diagnostic test in the comfort of his or her own home, or schedule a appointment with one of our specialized sleep respiratory therapists for a preliminary assessment.
Oh yes, the home test to diagnose sleep apnea (ambulatory cardiorespiratory polygraphy) is free with La Clef du Sommeil!
1 Guilleminault C, Tilkian A, Dement WC. The sleep apnea syndromes. Annu Rev Med. 1976;27:465-84. doi: 10.1146/annurev.me.27.020176.002341. PMID: 180875.
2 Young TB. Epidemiology of daytime sleepiness: definitions, symptomatology, and prevalence. J Clin Psychiatry 2004;65 Suppl 16:12-16.
3 oung T, Shahar E, Nieto FJ et al. Predictors of sleep-disordered breathing in community-dwelling adults: the Sleep Heart Health Study. Arch Intern Med 2002;162(8):893-900.
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