Snoring is no joke!
Loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness can be signs of sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the upper airway behind the tongue repeatedly collapses during sleep. Some amount of airway collapse during sleep is normal, explains Tom Gustafson, M.D. sleep-medicine specialist of the Fairview Sleep Centers - Chisago City. OSA is said to be mild if the airway collapses 5 to 15 times an hour and severe if it occurs more than 30 times during an hour.
One in five adults has some form of OSA. Signs of the condition might include:
- Loud snoring
- Periods of “apnea” (not breathing)
- Daytime sleepiness
- Obesity
- Family history
- Neck circumference of more than 17 inches
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Apnea is often the cause of loud snoring and can affect everyone in the home — not just the person snoring. While snoring is often the topic of many jokes, OSA should be taken seriously.
Michael Howell, M.D., sleep medicine specialist with the Fairview Sleep Center in Minneapolis says “Doctors take obstructive sleep apnea seriously as it can have some long-term, increased risk for major health issues such as high blood pressure, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Another danger of untreated OSA is that it can interrupt sleep so much that it causes excessive daytime sleepiness. This becomes a public safety concern when someone with OSA gets behind the wheel of a car or controls other transportation devices.
In February 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released results of a survey of nearly 75,000 adults in 12 states including Minnesota. It showed that close to 5 percent of those surveyed admitted to “nodding off” while driving in the previous 30 days, and nearly 38 percent reported falling asleep unintentionally at least one day in the preceding 30 days. “This means that sleep deprivation, whether from sleep apnea, insomnia or other causes, is much more of a public health concern than previously suspected,” says Howell.
Obstructive sleep apnea is easily identified with a sleep study where sleep is monitored overnight in a sleep laboratory and treated with a variety of treatment options available.
Contact your doctor if excessive daytime sleepiness or nighttime snoring affect your ability to work, think clearly or enjoy life. If you prefer, you may contact a sleep-medicine specialist directly at one of these Fairview Sleep Centers, which include our newest location in Brooklyn Park.
Learn more about Sleep Medicine at My Medical Minute
