A sleeping disorder that causes the airways to collapse or become blocked while you’re asleep, sleep apnea makes it hard to get enough quality sleep. The condition also raises your risk for several serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and headache syndromes. Fortunately, the right treatment relieves symptoms and improves your overall health.
In most cases, treating obstructive sleep apnea completely eliminates signs and symptoms of the disorder, such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. Depending on the severity of the problem, doctors may treat other conditions that contribute to the sleep disorder, such as obesity, large tonsils or adenoids, enlarged tongue, or a narrow throat.
Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include snoring, headaches, tiredness or lack of energy, memory problems, mood changes, trouble with concentration and attention, irritability, high or low blood pressure, weight loss, irregular menstrual periods, poor immune system function, dry mouth and thrush, and heart or kidney disease. The disorder is most common in men, but it also affects women and children. It’s more likely to occur in people with certain medical or physical conditions.
People with a thick neck, large enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or a narrow throat are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea. Other risk factors include a family history of the disorder, being male, being overweight, and having a chin that falls backward, which can make it more difficult to breathe. In addition, medications such as sedatives or tranquilizers can increase your chances of having the disorder. The condition is also more likely in smokers and those who have a family history of the disease or a genetic predisposition toward it.
Central sleep apnea, the less common form of the disorder, is characterized by a disruption in the normal mechanisms that control breathing. Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea doesn’t cause blockages or collapsing of the airway, but it does interfere with your ability to breath normally.
Some people who have a severe type of central sleep apnea are at a higher risk for having a stroke or cardiovascular disease, a heart attack, or vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than others with the condition.
The outlook for both types of sleep apnea is generally good, especially if you take steps to control your risks and work closely with your doctor to find the right treatment for you. Follow-up visits can help ensure that your treatment is effective and that any symptoms or concerns are addressed quickly. In addition, proper use and care of any devices you may be using to manage your apnea can help ensure that the treatment is effective and that you get the best possible results. In the future, research may help to further refine and improve sleep apnea therapies. The authors would like to thank the staff of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for their contributions to this article. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Foundation and the National Institutes of Health are funding this research.