Is Sleep Apnea Treatable?

Apnea is referred to as a pause in the normal breathing cycle. The pause in the breathing cycle during sleep is called sleep apnea. The gap between the breathing cycles for ten or more seconds is included in sleep apnea. There are two main types of sleep apneas. The pause caused due to the failure of the breath control system in the brain is known as central sleep apnea. The second type is obstructive sleep apnea caused due to failure of the throat muscle keeping the airway open. The supply of oxygen to the body is interrupted in both types. Resultantly, the supply of oxygen to the tissues of the body is reduced.

What does happen in Obstructive sleep apnea?

The pause in the breathing cycle leads to a deficiency of oxygen to the body tissues. Less energy is required for the smooth functioning of body systems during sleep. However, with the breathing pause, the oxygen level further decreases. The decrease in oxygen to the body tissues necessitates an increase in the heart rate which causes awakening the sufferer. Sometimes, the patients awake with a jerk. It happens in the deep phase of sleep. The repeated pause in the breathe causes disturbance in sleep. This disturbance generates different types of sleep disorders. The people suffering from OSA are more prone to develop snoring while asleep. Snoring results from the obstruction in the airway.

What does cause obstructive sleep apnea?

The obstructive sleep apnea occurs either through narrowing the airway or completely closing the airway. The pattern of disturbance varies in both cases. The main causes of OSA may be tonsil problems and overweight. Some of the individuals with a large neck, small chin, small jaws, and large bite have also been found with such problems. The habits like smoking and drinking alcohol are also the known causes of OSA. Old age, especially above 40 can also be a reason for developing OSA. Along with age factor, ethnicity is also a factor for developing such sleep disorders. The people of Africa, America, Pacific Island, and Hispania have been found with OSA. According to a study, more than 18 million adults in America are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.

Complications caused by obstructive sleep apnea

Many sleep disorders are associated with OSA. Repeated episodes of OSA lead to sleep deprivation. Feeling sleepy and lack of interest in daily activities are the major drawbacks of sleep apnea. Lethargy, apathy, and dizziness have been noticed in the patients during the daytime. Other complications associated with sleep deprivation like depression, hypertension, loss of appetite and heart problems may also develop.

Management of obstructive sleep apnea

Management of OSA depends on the causative factors. In some cases, the treatment is short whereas in other cases it takes long term procedures and surveillance. Reliance on alcohol and tobacco is the known reason for developing obstructive sleep apnea. Discontinuation of alcohol and tobacco can b helpful to minimize the occurrences. Most of the obese and overweight people develop with symptoms of OSA. Reduction in weight through regular exercise and a balanced diet are recommended for overweight people. Remember! Here weight reduction doesn’t mean dieting. The congenital abnormalities of upper and lower jaws can be treated through surgery depending upon the condition. The concerned surgeon can decide the suitable procedure in this regard. Infected and enlarged tonsils are also treated through surgical procedures. In some cases, the continuous positiveairway pressure device has been proved helpful to reduce OSA. With CPAP the air passage remains open and allow the required amount of air to the lungs. The consultant can recommend the CPAP device for a patient of obstructive sleep apnea.

Excessive sleeping | Is it Bad or good for health?

What is excessive sleeping or oversleeping?

The normal nighttime sleep from 7-9 hours cannot be considered as excessive sleeping for adults. Similarly, the children sleep hours change with their age and growth. However, in some cases we see the people sleeping beyond the normal sleep hours. Even some people cannot control their sleep while on work. After sufficient sleep during the night, they seem to be feeling sleepy during the daytime. You may have noticed people sleeping while traveling on a bus, train or airplane. Let us differentiate the condition of excessive sleeping from usual sleep.

5 Probable causes of excessive sleeping

There are different causes of excessive sleepiness during the daytime. However, the main reason behind the prolonged daytime sleep is deprivation during the night. The night is best for sleep. 6-8 hours quiet night sleep refreshes the body systems. The daytime or extended sleep is mostly due to lack of sleep during the night. The probable causes of excessive sleep are as under:-

1. Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is one of the major causes of sleep deprivation which results in excessive sleepiness during daytime. Obstructive sleep apnea causes a disturbance in sleep but the individual does not know about the condition. However, a roommate or spouse sleeping next to the bed can notice the condition. We will discuss sleep apnea in another post.

2. Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivations may also lead to excessive sleeping. However, the individual can recover with rest. The repeated exposure to sleep deprivation can aggravate the condition followed by other symptoms like headache, nausea, lethargy, apathy, and fatigue.

3. Sedating medicines

Uses of sedating medicines also cause an increase in sleep. Even the patient sleeps more during the daytime. The sedative medicines prescribed by a doctor are given for a specific period. Continuous use of sedating drugs can cause other complications. So, it is recommended that the use of sedating medicines beyond medical advice should be avoided.

4. Certain medical and psychiatric conditions

Some particular medical and psychiatric conditions also cause excessive sleep. The patient sustaining concussion feels drowsiness during the daytime. Some of the Neurological conditions like Parkinsonism also lead to excessive daytime sleepiness. Psychiatric illness like depression and anxiety may lead to daytime sleep. The patients suffering from depression/anxiety either sleep too much or feel sleeplessness.

5. Unbalanced lifestyle

The smartphone has brought a change in the lifestyle of a common person. This change also affected the natural sleep of the people. The easy, uninterrupted and portable access to social media and other platforms has made the people too busy that they don’t care about the sleep and rest hours. Especially, the young generation has become the target of this access. Connecting with the mobile phone keeps the user awake unnecessarily during the night. This irregular sleep also causes excessive sleep during the daytime.

How to control excessive sleeping?

Once you know about the cause of excessive sleep during the daytime, you can easily manage it except medical and psychiatric conditions. The individual or his roommate/partner can understand the reason for excessive sleepiness. For any medical and psychiatric cause immediately consult the physician. However, for self-imposed causes like voluntary awaking during the night and use of sedative drugs can be controlled with motivation.

Sleep Disorders and Seizures

Connection between sleep disorders and seizures

The connection between sleep disorders and seizures is still unknown. The studies conducted in different regions and age groups showed the dissimilar results. Even the percentage of females and males suffered sleep loss due seizures varies in different researches. A detailed study carried out in Oman between 2011 and 2012, does not show the clear link between sleep disorders and seizures. During this study, 100 people with epilepsy were selected to find out the relation between seizures and sleep. Another study showed 10% adults and 20% children with epilepsy were found with obstructive sleep apnea which is known a serious sleep disorder. Moreover, 30% of the patients with drug-resistance epilepsy were found with obstructive sleep apnea.

Factors showing links between sleep disorders and seizures:

Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of cardiovascular disorders. Moreover, OSA (Obstructive sleep apnea) also causes metabolic disorders. Although, the direct connection between sleep disorders and seizures is undefined; however, the complications caused by OSA may lead to sleep issues. The cardiovascular and metabolic disorders may increase the risk of seizures in already developed epileptic patients. Sleep deprivation and intermittent hypoxia caused by obstructive sleep apnea may also increase the frequency of seizures. The increased frequency of seizures also leads to sleep disorders.

Precautionary measures for the patients

The solid connection between sleep disorders and seizures is unknown. Whether there is no specific study to link the sleep disorders and fits or I could not find the reasonable material. However, the above mentioned possibilities prove that increased frequency of seizures can cause sleep problems in the patients. Usually, the epileptic patients suffer a lot due to irregular fits. The sleep deprivation and fragmentation may further aggravate the condition of the patients. Therefore, it is recommended that the epileptic patients should be given regular medication to prevent the seizures. It will helpful for the patients to improve his/her sleep.