Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea (OSAH) is a sleep disorder characterized by cessation or significant decrease of breathing during sleep which is caused by the collapse of upper airway. The pauses in breathing must last for about 10 seconds and come with a decrease of oxygen level in the blood and an increase of the hearth rate. Apnea/Hypopnea is a common disease among adults and obese people.
One with OSA may experience loud snoring, short pauses in breathing, and recurrent gasping. OSA disrupt the person’s sleep due to insufficient breathing and poor oxygen levels in the blood. and have significant consequences on one’s health. OSA cause daytime sleepiness, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and accidents caused by sleepiness.
OSA and OSAH are usually measured during sleep. For the best result, OSA should be measured in all stage of sleep. The severity of OSA and OSAH is defined by dividing the number of OSA/OSAH by the number of hours of sleep. The result is an apnea index (AI). The bigger number, the more severe the disorder.
Type of OSA
Three types of OSA include:
1) Central sleep apnea (CSA): occurs when the brain does not send the signal to the muscle to take a breath
2) Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): occurs when the muscles receive signal from the brain and make an effort to breath. However, they are failed because the airway becomes obstructed and does not allow for an adequate flow of air
3) Mixed sleep apnea: occurs when both CSA and OSA happen
Polysomnography
A way to find out if you are suffering by OSA is to go for sleep test or polysomnography. During sleep test, a technician sets recording equipment on a subject to observe and record physical and physiological parameters while the person is sleeping. The parameters are, for example, brain waves, eye movements, nasal airflow, chast and abdominal movement, and snoring.
OSA can be classified into three severity levels: mild (5-15 events per hour), moderate (15-30 events per hour), and severe (more than 30 events per hour).
Treatment for OSA can be both surgical and non-surgical. The most recommended treatment is to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Although, patients might need to take some time to get used to the treatment, there is no surgery and medicine required.
