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Hampden County
Physician Associates, LLC
Administrative Office
354 Birnie Avenue, Suite 202
Springfield, MA 01107
413 733-3470
Health Information & Articles
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
Written by Shamim Najeebi, MD
Hampden County Physician Associates, LLC
Most of you might have heard about obstructive sleep apnea and some of you probably know someone who is being treated for this condition. Let’s look at some of the facts about obstructive sleep apnea.
WHAT IS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
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O.S.A. is the narrowing of the airway passages to a point where during sleep it can transient and intermittently completely occludes the air way passages. When this happens, you can repeatedly stop breathing, sometimes for 30 seconds or more. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in oxygen level in the body.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
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Once the brain senses the lack of oxygen in the body, as a protective mechanism it will shift your sleep to the lighter stages of sleep, at which point your airway opens up again and breathing will be restored and oxygen level will improve, however this process will repeat throughout the night at different intervals, and hence leads to:
1. General tiredness, fatigue, excessive day time sleepiness.
2. Head aches mostly in am.
3. Mood swings.
4. Not feeling refreshed even after a good night sleep.
5. Lack of energy.
WHAT ARE THE ILL EFFECT OF UNDIAGNOSED AND OR UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA
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Recent studies have shown that these patients are more prone to have:
1. Difficult to control B.P. some times requiring two or more medications to control blood pressure.
2. Increased risk of stroke.
3. Increase incidence of irregular heart beat and or sudden cardiac death.
4. Decrease sensitivity to insulin hence more prone to diabetes.
5. Work related injuries.
6. Motor vehicle accidents.
HOW WE DIAGNOSE AND TREAT SLEEP APNEA
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In the majority of cases, patients with symptoms of O.S.A. are referred to a Sleep Center for a full night sleep stay where a sleep technician monitors brain activity, oxygen level, muscle activity, breathing pattern, and heart rate. Patients are usually monitored throughout the night. Once the diagnosis of sleep apnea is established, most of the time the patient is required to sleep with a mask and a machine which delivers a predetermined amount of pressure to prevent the airway from closing. There are also other less optimal options available including a mendibular advancement device and or oral surgery. Your doctor can advise you which option is more appropriate for your condition.
For more information, please contact the Sleep Disorder Center of Hampden County at 413-569-4071, an affiliate of Hampden County Physician Associates, LLC.