Quiet Nights

Stop the snoring of sleep apnea.

Do you know a married couple who no longer sleep in the same bed because of the husband's snoring? (Maybe you are that couple.) Well, that snoring may be a sign of a serious condition called sleep apnea.

"Apnea" means lack of breath, explains Jeffrey Kopita, M.D., a pulmonary specialist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland. As someone with obstructive sleep apnea falls asleep, excess tissue in the throat relaxes, obstructing the upper airway. In some cases the airflow stops completely, and the person gasps or makes a big noise as the body attempts to reopen the airway.

Snoozing and Losing
These sleep interruptions can happen 20 to 60 times per hour-or more. Yet, people with sleep apnea often don't know they have the condition. As Dr. Kopita notes, "They wake up only slightly and go back to sleep so quickly they don't know the disturbances even happened."

Fatigue caused by sleep apnea contributes to auto accidents, poor work performance, marital problems and more. "You may be sleeping for eight hours, but you're not getting true restorative sleep," Dr. Kopita says. Medically, sleep apnea can lead to serious consequences, including heart damage.

If you snore and have excessive daytime sleepiness, you may be referred to a pulmonologist for a medical history and examination. A definitive diagnosis of sleep apnea requires a sleep study (see below).

Help is Available
There are behavioral, surgical and medical solutions for sleep apnea.

"We encourage patients to lose weight, because obesity causes excess tissue and is a major risk factor for sleep apnea," Dr. Kopita explains.

Tissue in the back of the throat can be surgically removed, but this works only in about a third of cases, he says. The treatment most often recommended is a medical device that delivers continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) through the mouth, nose or both to keep the airway open during sleep. A CPAP unit consists of a custom-fitted mask connected to a long, flexible tube leading to the CPAP machine.

While wearing a mask at night takes a little getting used to, the results are typically immediate. CPAP allows sleep apnea patients to wake up feeling refreshed and full of energy-often for the first time in years.

By Deborah Paddison

Is snoring keeping you awake? Call 1-800-4BAYLOR for more information about Baylor Garland's Sleep Center.