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Overview
Sleep apnea is a disorder that
commonly affects more than 12 million people in the United States. It
takes its name from the Greek word apnea, which means "without
breath."
People with sleep apnea literally stop breathing repeatedly
during their sleep, often for a minute or longer and as many as hundreds
of times during a single night.
Cause
The exact cause of OSA remains
unclear. The site of obstruction in most patients is the soft palate,
extending to the region at the base of the tongue. There are no rigid
structures, such as cartilage or bone, in this area to hold the airway
open. During the day, muscles in the region keep the passage wide open.
But as a person with OSA falls asleep, these muscles relax to a point
where the airway collapses and becomes obstructed.
When the airway closes, breathing stops, and the sleeper awakens to open
the airway. The arousal from sleep usually lasts only a few seconds, but
brief arousals disrupt continuous sleep and prevent the person from
reaching the deep stages of slumber, such as rapid eye movement (REM)
sleep, which the body needs in order to rest and replenish its strength.
Once normal breathing is restored, the person falls asleep only to
repeat the cycle throughout the night.
Typically, the frequency of waking episodes is somewhere between 10 and
60. A person with severe OSA may have more than 100 waking episodes in a
single night.
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Risk Factors
The primary risk factor for OSA is excessive weight gain. The
accumulation of fat on the sides of the upper airway causes it to become
narrow and predisposed to closure when the muscles relax. Age is another
prominent risk factor. Loss of muscle mass is a common consequence of
the aging process. If muscle mass decreases in the airway, it may be
replaced with fat, leaving the airway narrow and soft. Men have a
greater risk for OSA. Male hormones can cause structural changes in the
upper airway.
Several treatment options exist for
dealing with OSA. These include weight reduction
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Positional Therapy
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Positive Pressure Therapy
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Surgical Options
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Oral Appliances.
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