Analysis Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Sleep apnea is a serious health epidemic that is linked to another problem currently gripping the nation: the rising rate of obesity. Obesity and sleep apnea are so tightly connected that it is hard to discuss one without the other. Understanding the connections between obesity and sleep apnea can help you create a path towards treating both of these dangerous problems.

There are many people who struggle to sleep at night. One reason that they might struggle is because of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is defined as “a reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep” (Medicine Net; Nov. 2105). With the help of many types, treatment, medication, and devices changes your lifestyle Can help with sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep–breathing disorder characterized by momentary episodes of either complete breathing cessation for periods of ten seconds or more (apnea) or significant reductions in breathing amplitude (hypopnea) caused by a collapsed or obstructed airway; these two conditions can lead to hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in blood) and hypercapnia (high levels of carbon dioxide in blood). Patients are categorized as having mild, moderate or severe OSA depending on the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), which is defined as the total numbers of apnea/hypopnea episodes per hour of sleep. In normal individuals the index is usually 5 or lower, 5-15 in mild, 15-30 in moderate and 30 or more in severe OSA patients (1, 2). In patients with mild OSA the oxyhemoglobin saturation drops to 95% and can drop below 80% in severe cases. Obstruction of the airways results in greater breathing effort and fluctuations in intrathoracic pressure, resulting in arousal, sleep interruption and reopening of the airway (3).

Getting restful sleep is vital. During sleep, blood pressure and body temperature changes, while respiration and heart rate decreases. Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is defined by repeated interruptions in breathing and / or reduced respiratory flow during sleep. The most common symptoms include difficulty breathing, snoring, restless sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, frequent headaches, enlarged tonsils and large tongue volume, and irritability. Sleep apnea can be mild, moderate or severe. If it's left untreated, sleeping apnea may lead to diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity or depression. One common treatment is the use of sleep apnea devices.

People who have suffer from breaks in their breathing at night are often diagnosed with sleep apnea. However, this diagnosis is often incorrect: many times, people are actually suffering from Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (or UARS), a condition that causes similar problems, but which is caused by obstructions in your throat. Understanding the differences can help you get a more accurate diagnosis from your doctor.

Apnea is frightening for parents as breathing stops suddenly and a baby may become limp and blue. Breathing usually restarts after a few moments and gentle stimulation of a baby, stroking their face or moving them slightly, can encourage a quick recovery unless the child is otherwise ill with pneumonia or heart failure. Before a baby leaves the hospital, discuss with the medical team if you wish to monitor your baby’s breathing with a pulse oximeter or apnea monitor. Monitoring your baby might be a wise precaution and you can request information about resuscitation techniques if your child does not breathe after stimulation. Some parents might choose to complete a CPR course before leaving the hospital.

Sleep apnea is a chronic disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It leads to snoring, fatigue and interruptions of oxygen flowing through the body. The need for life insurance varies with age, responsibilities and your health. Life insurance policies become valuable financial resources for maintaining a standard of life. Policies are designed to provide a fixed amount of money according the policy terms and conditions to helping families avoid hardships. Life insurance policies can include the insurer’s ability to draw against the face value of the policy in the event of an illness. In the case of having sleep apnea, the insurer becomes the beneficiary of the policy value. There are also instances, where the policy also functions as a secondary health coverage, should the primarily carrier deny the medical claim.

Doctors don’t just prescribe medications for treatment of sleep apnea there are other options. They may prescribe Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Device (CPAP), oral device (OA), surgery, and diet. (Ronald M. Harper, 1988) The outcome depends on the patients’ compliance to treatment. I would like to explain what causes OSA, the treatments for OSA, and the negative effects if left untreated.

Sleep apnea is common, nine percent of women and twenty-four percent of men ages thirty to sixty years old suffer from this disorder. There are many causes of sleep apnea which is why it is so prevalent. People having a body mass index of twenty-five to twenty-nine are considered overweight and a body mass index above thirty is considered obese. Roughly fifty-five percent of men and fifty percent of women are obese. Forty percent of obese people suffer from sleep apnea, which makes obesity a very prevalent cause of sleep apnea. A large neck can also contribute to sleep apnea. If the neck circumference of a male measures greater than seventeen inches or a woman’s measures more than sixteen inches they are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a condition where an individual's airway collapses during sleeping. As a result, the person goes without breathing for up to a minute and wakes momentarily gasping for breath. This can happen dozens, even hundreds, of times throughout the night. Not getting the oxygen they need, the brain,

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent but very frequently undiagnosed. OSA is an independent risk factor for depression and cognitive impairment/dementia. Herein we reviewed studies in the literature pertinent to the effects of OSA on the cerebral microvascular and neurovascular systems and present a model to describe the key pathophysiological mechanisms that may underlie the associations, including hypoperfusion, endothelial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. Intermittent hypoxia plays a critical role in initiating and amplifying these pathological processes. Hypoperfusion and impaired cerebral vasomotor reactivity lead to the development or progression of cerebral small vessel disease (C-SVD). Hypoxemia exacerbates these processes,

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form between both sleep apneas. OSA occurs when the upper airway collapse during sleep. Collapse of the upper airway may cause decreases in ventilation, but not complete cessation of it, with desaturation and arousal (hypopnea) and/or complete cessation of airflow for more than 10 seconds entitled apnea (Figure 1) 1. Common symptoms of OSA are frequent arousal, snoring, choking/gasping, daytime sleepiness, increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood (hypercapnea), and a decrease of oxygen level in the body (hypoxia). As stated before, OSA is more common in men than in women. Other factors that influence OSA are those with an increased body mass index, thick neck/circumference, small erythematous oropharynx, position of body during sleep (most commonly the supine position), medication, alcohol, or pre-existing cardiac complications2. Usually, OSA is diagnosed by a sleep doctor monitoring the patient during a polysomnography (sleep study). Having a sleep study done is the gold standard diagnostic for assessing sleep-disordered breathing. There is monitoring of the airflow of the nose and mouth, end tidal CO2, the patient’s sleep state by electroencephalography, movement of the chest and abdomen, pulse oximetry, and blood pressure. “The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)—the number of obstructive events per hour—is the most commonly used measurement to quantify OSA: mild OSA = 5 to 15 events/hour; moderate = 15 to 30

This patient comes to the office complaining of shortness of breath that has increased over the past month, waking up frequently in the middle of the night with acute shortness of breath, and reports feeling tired most of the time. According to McCance & Huether (2014), obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) can cause interrupted sleep patterns and excessive day-time sleepiness. In addition, McCance & Huether (2014) reports that OSAS contributes to the development of metabolic syndrome, which is highly associated with cardiovascular disease mortality and states, “If left untreated it also can cause cardiovascular disease, particularly left ventricular hypertrophy, and insulin resistance, as well with pulmonary complications” (p. 1300).

Research shows that 1 in 15 Americans or eighteen million Americans suffer from the threatening effects of sleep apnea, in which “flow of oxygen to vital organs is reduced and irregular heart rhythms occur” (Sleepdex 1). Sleep apnea happens in two different

The dental profession should have a role in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is divided into two categories being Obstructive sleep apnea and Central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which the flow of air pauses or decreases multiple times during your sleep affecting the airway becoming narrowed, or blocked. A sudden pause in your breathing cycle is called an apnea episode. A decrease in the airflow while breathing as your asleep is called a hypopnea episode. Central sleep apnea is also a disorder in which your breathing patterns constantly stops and starts throughout a night. Central sleep apnea occurs most because your brain does not send the correct signals to the necessary muscles that help control