Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that occurs when a person stops breathing during sleep. Unfortunately, it is often undiagnosed until a bed partner or a family member tells you that you may have it. If no one is around to tell you, there are some early warning signs that tell you may be at risk for sleep apnea, including snoring, fatigue during the day, and waking up frequently during the night.
Here are some reasons why sleep apnea needs to be tested for and treated.
Health Problems
Cardiovascular Disease
A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia shows that sleep apnea can cause heart diseases like hypertension, strokes, cardiac arrhythmias, ischaemic heart disease, and heart failure. This is because when your breathing regularly stops throughout the night, you are not getting the oxygen that your body needs. When you do not get enough oxygen, your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body.
Diabetes
A study published by the Sleep Foundation lists several links between sleep apnea and insulin resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes. There are numerous pathways as to how sleep apnea can cause insulin resistance. One, sleep apnea leads to chronic inflammation. Two, sleep apnea leads to changes in hormones that regulate blood sugar. The report by the Sleep foundation mentions several serious pathways that lead to insulin resistance clearly signifying that sleep apnea can increase the risk for diabetes.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
New research by Australian and Icelandic researchers, led by RMIT University and published in the journal Sleep has confirmed long-suspected links between sleep apnea and Alzheimer’s disease. The research found that people with sleep apnea are more likely to have signs of brain damage on MRI scans, including reduced brain volume and white matter abnormalities. They also found identical signs of brain damage in both conditions. Studies from other institutions also found that people with sleep apnea were more likely to perform poorly on cognitive tests, and that these cognitive deficits were similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
These findings suggest that sleep apnea may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, or that the two conditions share common underlying mechanisms.
Driving Drowsy and Road Accidents
Because sleep apnea causes sleep deprivation, it can lead to daytime sleepiness, difficulty to concentrate and focus on tasks, and unable to stay alert. It is also one of the leading causes of driving drowsy road accidents which is a major problem on our roads. Sleep apnea is a major contributing factor to this, which makes it crucial to get tested and treated so you that you can stay safe while driving.
WARNING: If you are sleep deprived, get enough sleep before driving. In some countries and states, it is considered an offense to drive when fatigued. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about testing and treatment options.
Depression
Studies have shown that people with sleep apnea are more likely to suffer from depression than those who do not have the disorder. One theory is that sleep apnea disrupts the body’s natural sleep cycle. This disruption can lead to changes in the levels of certain hormones, including serotonin, which plays a role in mood regulation. In addition, sleep apnea can cause chronic sleepiness, which can further contribute to feelings of chronic fatigue and irritability.
If you think you may have sleep apnea, it is important to talk to your doctor and get a sleep test. A home sleep test is easy and convenient, and you can sleep in the comfort of your own bed. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about having a home sleep test and find the right treatment for you.
Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that occurs when breathing is interrupted during sleep. It affects millions of people worldwide and most of them may not even be aware that they suffer from the condition.
Breathing stops several times, sometimes every minute, throughout the night, preventing people from getting enough oxygen. These interruptions to your breathing can last from a few seconds to more than a minute many times an hour. Imagine not breathing for 15-60 times over several hours through the night!
TYPES OF SLEEP APNEA AND THEIR CAUSES
There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
This is the most common type of sleep apnea due to obstruction in the throat which blocks the airway during sleep. Breathing pauses approximately 10 to 60 seconds between loud sounds that have been described as snores, snorts, gurgles, and gasping for air.
The narrowing of the upper airway can be a result of several factors:
inherent physical characteristics like narrow or crooked airway passages
excess weight with heavy throat tissue that collapse while sleeping
smoking which damages airway passages
alcohol consumption which may cause loss of firmness around throat muscles
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)
This is caused by a delay in the signal from the brain to the lungs. As a result, your lungs ‘forget’ to breathe while you sleep. This is a rare type of sleep apnea and if our portable PSG detects it, we will refer you back to your GP as this may signal deeper health conditions relating to the heart and brain.
With both obstructive and central apnea, your brain, not getting enough oxygen, must wake you up briefly to breathe — sometimes hundreds of times during the night. These arousals are not gentle episodes of awakening, but are characterised by jerks, gasping, snorts, and gurgles, and are accompanied by spikes in blood pressure and heart rate. Usually there is no memory of these brief awakenings.
So the difference between OSA and CSA:
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the throat relax and block the airway.
Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain does not send signals to the muscles to breathe.
Our service focuses mainly on OSA, obstructive sleep apnea, as it is more common and easier to treat.
SYMPTOMS
Sleep apnea happens only while you’re sleeping. You probably wouldn’t know you had it until your bed partner or a family member pointed it out to you. They’re bothered by your snoring and the sounds you make. And they will tell you that they witness that you stop breathing during sleep followed by gasping and snorting.
Here’s a video showing OSA episodes. Note that no snoring occurs during the worse apnea events because the airway is completely closed. But the person is struggling hard to breath, as seen by the effort of his chest. Our appreciation to the owner of this video for posting it.
If you don’t have anyone in your household who witnesses your breathing stops, the following symptoms will give you a hint that you may have sleep apnea.
You know that you snore loudly.
You wake up frequently during the night.
You wake up feeling fatigued.
Chronic daytime sleepiness and tiredness.
Difficulty concentrating during the day.
You’re irritable and depressed.
You find you can’t cope with problems well.
You notice you have mood swings.
To be sure that you have sleep apnea and to measure its severity, you can request for a polysomnogram, otherwise known as a sleep study or a sleep test.
HOW SLEEP APNEA AFFECTS YOU
Too often, a lot of people think their problem is simply a bad case of snoring. If left untreated, however, sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, brain damage, and even death. You can learn more about the problems arising from untested and untreated sleep apneahere.
Sleep apnea can also affect you outside of your health. And although this aspect of sleep deprivation is not often spoken about, its effects on personality and behavior are just as important.
For example, sleep deprivation can lead to fatigue during the day making it difficult to concentrate and make it harder to focus on tasks. It can also cause mood swings and irritability, and difficulty controlling their emotions. Accidents that costs lives and loss or damage to property and businesses can also be blamed on sleepiness and fatigue.
If you’re in Brisbane and hesitate about having a sleep apnea test in a sleep lab or hospital, then why not consider an in-home sleep study? In all our home sleep study Brisbane clinics, we use the latest portable 16-lead channel diagnostic technology which meets all the standards required for a home sleep study covered by Medicare. A small out-of-pocket fee may apply.
Home Sleep Study Brisbane Clinics
Ipswich, Brisbane West and South, Logan.
Nexus Healthcare
(07) 3708 3233
Northside and Eastside, Capalaba, Cleveland, Redland Bay.
Capalaba Medical Centre
(07) 3245 9600
Portable Home Sleep Study Brisbane Service
Living with untreated sleep apnea can be disruptive enough – you shouldn’t have to worry about disrupting your life even more to get the testing and treatment you need.
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that occurs when your breathing repeatedly starts and stops during sleep. According to the Australian Sleep Health Foundation, an estimated 2.5 million Australians suffer from sleep apnea, and a further unknown number that go undiagnosed.
There are two types of sleep studies — in-lab and at-home.
In-lab or in-hospital sleep studies are conducted in a sleep center or hospital with trained medical staff on hand to monitor patients throughout the night.
A portable, home sleep study is sufficient to diagnose sleep apnea. If a patient meets certain requirements, the study is covered by Medicare.
At Sleep Study Brisbane, a portable sleep study uses state-of-the-art equipment to monitor sleep patterns and breathing. The data from your study will be sent wirelessly to one of our board-certified Respiratory and Sleep Specialists.
With an at-home sleep study Brisbane, there are two ways of getting one done:
In the north and east Brisbane, please contact Capalaba Medical Centre to make an appointment.
Portable sleep studies have many benefits, including convenience, lower cost, and minimal disruption to your daily routine.
It can be a more convenient option for patients who prefer not to be tested overnight in a hospital or sleep lab environment.
You can stick to your normal routine and just go about your nightly activities as usual. There is no need to travel to a sleep center or spend the night away from home.
At-home sleep studies Brisbane are covered by Medicare which means you only have a small out-of-pocket fee to pay your sleep technician or the medical centre. In addition, you won’t have to pay for a hotel room or transportation to and from the sleep center.
If you think you may have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about whether a portable sleep study is right for you. A portable sleep study is a convenient, less expensive option that can help you get the treatment you need with minimal disruption to your life.
For more information, please contact us:
Call (07) 3708 3233 Text 0434 719948 Email: info@sleepstudybrisbane.com.au
