Mr. Health Insurance of Maryland

Submitted by: Steve Klein

More than 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, according to the National Sleep Foundation and close to half don’t even know it. Sleep apnea can do more than rob you of a good night’s sleep…it can rob you of your health. Heart failure, coronary artery disease, and diabetes can develop and symptoms worsened by this often unrecognized but potentially fatal disorder.

Daytime sleepiness, snoring, and feeling unrefreshed after a night’s sleep are among the warning signs of apnea. While snoring is common, and over a third of adults do it, chronic snoring, especially when accompanied by brief episodes of choking and gasping, is a red flag for sleep apnea. This condition can be tested for and treated by seeing a sleep disorder specialist, often who is a pulmonologist.

Apnea is a Greek word that means “want of breath”. Obstructive sleep apnea causes breathing to stop for up to 30 seconds, sometimes more. While you sleep, the muscles in your throat relax and your airway collapses cutting off air flow to the lungs. You experience a suffocating sensation as your body continues to try to breathe. Air intake is cut off, oxygen levels drop. This causes the person to rouse from sleep but not fully awaken repeatedly, often as much as 30 to 50 times an hour. The result is a lack of a good night’s sleep which can result in daytime drowsiness, learning and memory difficulties, and impotence. Productivity and personal relationships can suffer.

Sleep deprivation can also increase the chances of work related and vehicular accidents. Recent studies attribute more than 800,000 car crashes and 1,400 vehicular deaths in the U.S. to sleep apnea. Those with sleep apnea are 2.5 times more likely to have a car accident than the average driver according to researchers at the University of California in San Diego.

On a personal level, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a few years ago. Testing was performed at a sleep disorder center and as a result, I am finally able to sleep more soundly and awake refreshed. I wasn’t going through the normal sleep cycle so my body wasn’t getting all the regenerative benefits it needed.

An overnight polysomnogram is performed at the sleep disorder center which in essence is a lab set up very much like a hotel room. The polysomnogram monitors brain waves, breathing, oxygen levels, heart rate, and leg, chest, and abdominal movements. Following the test, a sleep specialist interprets the data and provides it to the referring physician for discussion with the patient.

The treatment of choice in my case and for most people with sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. This device provides a continuous positive air flow through a mask that is worn over the nose and mouth and gently blows air in order to keep the airway open at night. I personally felt an immediate improvement and was quickly able to get used to sleeping with the device. There are also oral devices available that are effective for many patients.

Lifestyle changes in conjunction with the CPAP machine can reduce the severity of sleep apnea. Losing weight, avoiding alcohol and sedatives, quitting smoking, and changing positions are effective for many people. The benefits are significant and there’s almost an immediate reversal of daytime sleepiness as well as a reduction in the risk for cardiovascular disease.

For mor information about this article, please contact Steve Klein at 866-654-4844 of visit us on the web at www.mrinsuranceofmaryland.com

Share This