Sleep Apnea and Narcolepsy
Sleep Apnea is not a symptom of narcolepsy. However, it is experienced more frequently by those who are also afflicted with narcolepsy than by other members of the general population.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a more common and serious type of apnea. In this type, the onset of sleep does not affect the diaphragm. There is, however, an abnormal loss of tone (healthy elasticity) in the muscles of the tongue, throat, and larynx during sleep. As a result, at the onset of or during sleep, the throat collapses and the air flow is completely blocked. During the apneic episode, the diaphragm continues to contract rhythmically with a progressively greater effort against the closed airway until finally a partial or complete awakening occurs and normal breathing is resumed.
Seriousness Of Sleep Apnea
In severe cases, the abnormal physical conditions caused by or associated with sleep apnea are suspected as a possible cause of many deaths which occur during sleep. As one example, the "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" is a suspect class of such deaths in which infants, who are apparently normal in every waking aspect, die during sleep and no reason for the deaths can be found.
Definiton of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is characterized by a stoppage in breathing while asleep.
General Effects Of Sleep Apnea
Early morning headaches are a frequent symptom of sleep apnea, as are hallucinations which occur while the person is awake but feeling extremely sleepy. Adults who experience such hallucinations report that they are usually, although not always, able to correct their perceptions of reality as they become more awake and alert. In addition, a slight disorientation sometimes occurs after awakening. This typically lasts for between 3 minutes to half an hour and can involve difficulties with memory or giving inappropriate answers to questions. Many refer to this as a "foggy mind" state. Children appear to have much greater difficulty than adults in distinguishing between that which is imagined and that which is real. They may experience the "foggy" morning awakenings with accompanying hallucinations and later in the day have great difficulty recalling which was reality and which was an hallucination.
Effects Of Central Sleep Apnea
Those who suffer from central sleep apnea usually complain of insomnia. They often say that they are unable to get a night of continuous sleep. They are unaware of the apneic episodes, but are often aware that they awaken frequently during the night and are unable to to go back to sleep for some time. They also have many awakenings of which they are unaware.
Types of Sleep Apnea
There are 3 types of sleep apnea: central, obstructive, and mixed.
Central Sleep Apnea
Central Sleep Apnea is a relatively rare central nervous system disorder. When a person suffering from this type of sleep apnea falls asleep, the diaphragm (the muscle separating the chest and abdominal cavity which helps move air in and out of the lungs) stops moving because the sleeping brain fails to send impulses through the nerves which control the movement of the diaphragm. When the diaphragm stops functioning, breathing stops.
Sleep Apnea and Non-Related Medications
Sleeping pills, tranquillizers, alcohol, barbiturates, or any similar drugs which have a depressing effect upon the central nervous system (which controls breathing) should be avoided or used only after careful consideration of their potential deadly effect.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
For central sleep apnea, some success in reducing the number of apneic episodes has been achieved with medications (imipramine and chlorimipramine). For those suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, there may be more options. Many sufferers are overweight; weight loss can reduce the number or intensity of the apneic episodes for many. A "continuous positive airway pressure" (CPAP) device may help some sufferers. The CPAP is a small respirator kept next to the bed. During sleep, a mask connected to the respirator is worn. The CPAP forces air through the mask to ensure that the upper airway does not collapse and bring on an apneic episode.
Can I Stop Snoring Without Expensive Surgery?
The first thing that needs to be done is to determine the cause of your snoring. There are several different kinds of oral appliances available to help, but if the problem is sleep apnea, it could be a lot more serious and some other type of treatment might be indicated. As always, the best advice is to seek a referral to a sleep specialist where you will be able to receive proper diagnosis and treatment.
Sleep Apnea and High Blood Pressure
The elevated blood pressure associated with sleep apnea may finally begin to remain elevated during the daytime when breathing is normal. Thus, a potential cause of unexplained hypertension could be sleep apnea.
Physiological Effects Of Sleep Apnea
Apneic episodes cause the oxygen content of the blood to decrease and the carbon dioxide levels to increase. This means that the heart, brain, and other vital tissues are periodically deprived of needed oxygenated blood. Furthermore, blood pressure rises sharply in both the pulmonary and systemic arteries, and the heart slows (bradycardia) and may stop entirely (asystole) for as long as 6 to 8 seconds. These changes are temporarily reversed when breathing is resumed.
Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea
Loud snoring is the most common symptom of sleep apnea. In fact, a history of snoring often precedes the development of other symptoms. Each episode of apnea usually ends with a loud snore, gasp, snort, or chortling sound, as breathing resumes.
Effects Of Obstructive and/or Mixed Sleep Apnea
The primary symptom reported by those who suffer from obstructive or mixed sleep apnea is excessive daytime sleepiness. Complaints such as, "I never seem to get enough sleep", or "I?m sleepy all day, every day", are common. Although their nighttime sleep is very disrupted, they are invariably completely unaware of the disturbance and feel their sleep is deep and continuous.