Sleep Apnea in Singapore
Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder in which there are one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. The pauses in breathing can last for a few seconds or even minutes, and have dangerous consequences. Each episode of a pause in breathing is called an apnea and lasts for duration long enough for more than one breath to be missed. The standard adopted for an event to be called an apneic event involves a 10-second interval between breaths. Sleep apnea becomes clinically significant if the number of episodes is more than five per hour. People suffering from this disorder typically undergo 5-30 episodes of apnea per hour and even more in some cases.
Sleep apnea is of three types- central, obstructive or complex. Central sleep apnea is a rarer form of apnea in which breathing is impaired due to the lack of normal functioning of the region of the brain and nerves that regulate the breathing process. Even the airways are open certain changes in the breathing control part of the brain lead to a momentary or transient halt to the body’s attempts to breathe. Thus breathing gets disrupted due to the lack of respiratory effort.
Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is the most common form of apnea caused by an obstruction or blockage of the air passage in the upper respiratory tract during sleep. This obstruction can be attributed to the relaxation of the soft tissue of the pharynx that then block the flow of air. The oxygen level in the blood falls and the person either wakes up or takes a snorting breath deep enough to fill his lungs with air again. Thus, despite full respiratory effort breathing is disrupted due to a physical blockage. The various causes of the obstruction are:
Obesity
Having a small tongue or mouth
Enlarged tonsils or adenoids in children
Jaw anatomy
Complex or mixed sleep apnea is a combination of both central and obstructive types of sleep apnea. It starts with a loss of breathing and ends up with an obstruction.
The biggest problem about sleep apnea is that the patient wakes up with no realization of recollection of episodes of loss of breath. Most often it is the person sleeping next to him who is able to correlate what he sees and hears and concludes that the patient has sleep apnea. The warning signs or symptoms include:
Recurrent silence periods during sleep caused by breathing breaks
Gasping for breath or a choking sound to get air in to the lungs
Waking up suddenly with a loud snort with profuse sweating
Loud snoring
Daytime sleepiness in excessive amounts combined with a feeling of weariness
Sleep apnea is curable once corrective measures are taken and medications and special masks etc are available to serve as remedies. The chief purpose is to regulate night time breathing without any gaps or apnea episodes. Some of the corrective measures that can be taken once the patient has been diagnosed with sleep apnea include:
Losing weight- apnea is most often associated with obesity
Avoiding alcohol, tobacco and sedatives since they all relax the throat muscles and encourage snoring
Sleeping on the side would prove to be better than sleeping on the back
Keeping the bed elevated on the head side to ease breathing
Following regular sleep patterns
Using nasal sprays or dilators to help free passage of air and get rid of nasal blockages
Using dental appliances to ease breathing through the mouth in times of a nasal blockage. They help by keeping the throat open.
CPAP or Continuous positive airway pressure- A machine that ensures air pressure through a mask placed over the nose while sleeping. The CPAP system is a little uncomfortable but its benefits outscore the discomfort.
Other adjustable airway pressure devices can be used as alternatives for CPAP. There are many that allow higher air pressure for inhaling and lesser for exhaling.
Surgery is an alternative for OSA, since it removes the obstructive tissue from the nose or throat
While there is limited awareness about Sleep Apnea in Singapore, hospitals, clinics and medical centers are offering advice and medical treatments in their Sleep Disorder Units. Extensive research is being conducted and attempts are being made to address the causes of the problem, and also ensure that children do not grow up with sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is of three types- central, obstructive or complex. Central sleep apnea is a rarer form of apnea in which breathing is impaired due to the lack of normal functioning of the region of the brain and nerves that regulate the breathing process. Even the airways are open certain changes in the breathing control part of the brain lead to a momentary or transient halt to the body’s attempts to breathe. Thus breathing gets disrupted due to the lack of respiratory effort.
Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is the most common form of apnea caused by an obstruction or blockage of the air passage in the upper respiratory tract during sleep. This obstruction can be attributed to the relaxation of the soft tissue of the pharynx that then block the flow of air. The oxygen level in the blood falls and the person either wakes up or takes a snorting breath deep enough to fill his lungs with air again. Thus, despite full respiratory effort breathing is disrupted due to a physical blockage. The various causes of the obstruction are:
Obesity
Having a small tongue or mouth
Enlarged tonsils or adenoids in children
Jaw anatomy
Complex or mixed sleep apnea is a combination of both central and obstructive types of sleep apnea. It starts with a loss of breathing and ends up with an obstruction.
The biggest problem about sleep apnea is that the patient wakes up with no realization of recollection of episodes of loss of breath. Most often it is the person sleeping next to him who is able to correlate what he sees and hears and concludes that the patient has sleep apnea. The warning signs or symptoms include:
Recurrent silence periods during sleep caused by breathing breaks
Gasping for breath or a choking sound to get air in to the lungs
Waking up suddenly with a loud snort with profuse sweating
Loud snoring
Daytime sleepiness in excessive amounts combined with a feeling of weariness
Sleep apnea is curable once corrective measures are taken and medications and special masks etc are available to serve as remedies. The chief purpose is to regulate night time breathing without any gaps or apnea episodes. Some of the corrective measures that can be taken once the patient has been diagnosed with sleep apnea include:
Losing weight- apnea is most often associated with obesity
Avoiding alcohol, tobacco and sedatives since they all relax the throat muscles and encourage snoring
Sleeping on the side would prove to be better than sleeping on the back
Keeping the bed elevated on the head side to ease breathing
Following regular sleep patterns
Using nasal sprays or dilators to help free passage of air and get rid of nasal blockages
Using dental appliances to ease breathing through the mouth in times of a nasal blockage. They help by keeping the throat open.
CPAP or Continuous positive airway pressure- A machine that ensures air pressure through a mask placed over the nose while sleeping. The CPAP system is a little uncomfortable but its benefits outscore the discomfort.
Other adjustable airway pressure devices can be used as alternatives for CPAP. There are many that allow higher air pressure for inhaling and lesser for exhaling.
Surgery is an alternative for OSA, since it removes the obstructive tissue from the nose or throat
While there is limited awareness about Sleep Apnea in Singapore, hospitals, clinics and medical centers are offering advice and medical treatments in their Sleep Disorder Units. Extensive research is being conducted and attempts are being made to address the causes of the problem, and also ensure that children do not grow up with sleep apnea.
