Sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep breathing disorder that’s often mistaken for simple snoring. You may even find your snores (or your partner’s) slightly amusing, or — at worst — annoying.
But snores are often a sign that your airway’s collapsed: You’re either not taking in any oxygen at all because your breathing’s actually stopped (i.e., an “apnea”) or it’s so obstructed that trying to breathe is like trying to drink a thick milkshake through a straw (i.e., a hypopnea). Paused or obstructed breaths rob your brain, heart, and other organs of life-giving oxygen.
Almost 936 million women and men between the ages of 30 and 69 suffer from sleep apnea worldwide. Up to 96% of people who snore may actually have mild to severe sleep apnea. Untreated, sleep apnea can reduce the quality and even the length of your life.
Dr. Kimberly Bolling, our experienced and compassionate internist, has seen for herself the havoc untreated sleep apnea can wreak on lives. That’s why she offers diagnostic sleep testing and sleep apnea treatment at our Bowie, Maryland, office.
How does ignoring sleep apnea affect your heart and energy? Below is a brief.
An apnea can stop your breathing for seconds to minutes at a time — and they may happen 30 times an hour or more. Hypopneas also restrict how much oxygen gets into your lungs and is circulated to your organs through your bloodstream.
Without sufficient oxygen in your blood, your organs are robbed of the nutrients they need to repair damaged cells and build new ones. Slowly, over time, those organs — including your brain and your heart — suffer damage and may begin to fail.
When you experience apnea, your blood oxygen levels drop. Each time that happens, your body panics and releases a stress hormone called epinephrine (aka adrenaline). Chronically elevated epinephrine can raise your blood pressure, exerting too much stress on the walls of your blood vessels.
Chronically high blood pressure, in turn, damages the lining of your blood vessels. Damaged, shredded vessel walls are more susceptible to developing plaque that stiffens the vessels and constricts their passageway, making it even harder for your blood to circulate.
If sleep apnea isn't treated, your sleep may be interrupted repeatedly during the night. Even if you don’t recall waking up, you suffer many minute instances of wakefulness that prevent your body from getting the deep rest it needs to repair and renew.
Without oxygen and nutrients, your organs don’t work optimally. People with sleep apnea tend to have high cholesterol levels. Although researchers are still studying the exact connection, they believe repeated drops in oxygen levels and increased stress hormones may contribute to inflammation throughout the body and disrupt hormone balance.
Hormonal irregularities and inflammation affect liver function, too. Your liver is the organ that helps process digested fats. This can contribute to changes in the enzymes that your liver uses to process cholesterol into bile acids, leading to an accumulation of cholesterol in your blood vessels.
The most telling impact of sleep apnea on your health is how you feel throughout your day. If you’re waking up multiple times a night and not getting the restorative rest your body needs, you feel it.
You may be slightly groggy all day. You may be so sleep-deprived that you actually fall asleep at work, school, or — most dangerously — behind the wheel.
You may find it hard to remember things or to focus; sleep apnea affects brain function, too. You may be irritable. Sluggish. You might even have curtailed some of the activities you used to enjoy because you just don’t have the energy for them anymore.
The first step in treating your sleep apnea is to get a diagnosis. Dr. Bolling administers sleep tests that let her know how many apneas or hypopneas you suffer each hour while you sleep. She can also see your blood oxygen levels to determine if they fall to a dangerous level.
Once you’re diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, Dr. Bolling devises a treatment plan. The gold standard treatment is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that keeps you breathing steadily through the night. Your CPAP may give you the first good night of sleep you’ve had in years.
If you’re overweight, she may also recommend a weight-loss program. Sleep apnea is strongly associated with obesity. In addition, new medications can improve nighttime breathing in overweight women and men who suffer from sleep apnea.
Don’t ignore your snoring. Call us at 301-352-0090 for a sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. You can also click here for our online appointment form.
