Sleep apnea is a source of discomfort for the partner, but also a potential danger to health.
It is considered a simple (but very irritating) annoyance if you sleep in pairs, which we often tend to underestimate, when in reality nocturnal snoring can be a real symptom of the so-called “obstructive sleep apnea syndrome” (OSAS).
It is the most frequent sleep-related respiratory disorder, also called “disease of the great snorers”. It is a complex and multifactorial pathology, that is, due to numerous causes, characterized by the presence of snoring, interrupted more or less evidently by episodes of obstruction of the upper airways.
According to the official definition, in fact, it manifests itself from a clinical point of view with daytime sleepiness and / or alterations in performance and nocturnal snoring and is linked to repeated episodes of obstruction of the upper airways during sleep, responsible for reducing blood oxygenation.
Snoring in sleep is the first symptom
The degree of obstruction of the upper airway can be varied; The first “step” of the syndrome is in fact snoring, that is a noise related to the passage of air through airways restricted to inspiration during sleep.
When the narrowing of the airways worsens, during sleep there are more obvious alterations in breathing, of which the main ones are the complete closure (apnea) and partial (hypopnea) of the air flow lasting not less than 10 seconds.
Who are the “great snorers”
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome affects about 4% of men and 2% of women. About two million individuals in Italy are therefore affected by this disease, although due to its lack of knowledge and awareness, until a few years ago the diagnoses of this syndrome were a small minority. And even today it is estimated that in two-thirds of cases obstructive sleep apnea is not diagnosed.
The subjects most at risk are males, aged between 35 and 55 years, especially if overweight: this condition, in fact, and even more obesity is one of the main determining factors of the syndrome.
Also the presence of anatomical alterations that obstruct the upper airways, such as hypertrophy (increase in volume) of adenoids and tonsils, macroglossia (increase in volume of the tongue) and micrognathia and retrognathia (reduction in size or backpositioning of the jaw), represent non-negligible predisposing factors.
Serious consequences, but cures exist
Often those suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome fail to maintain an acceptable level of alertness and report difficulty staying awake at the cinema, theater, a meeting or even a conversation.
More serious are the falling asleep that can occur while driving a vehicle or carrying out work assignments with precision machines or complex tools.
It has now been indisputably demonstrated that those who suffer from sleep apnea also have a higher risk of experiencing systemic arterial hypertension, ischemic cardiac diseases (myocardial infarction), arrhythmias, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
The therapy of this sleep disorder makes use of medical measures (weight loss, ventilatory therapy) or surgical (nasal unobstruction, reduction of the soft palate and lingual base, correction of jaw deformities).
The application of continuous positive pressure ventilation in the airways (CPAP) is currently the most effective treatment in improving the general condition and quality of life of those suffering from sleep apnea.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.