Certain questions about sleep and sleep apnea come up over and over again. Here are 15 of the most frequently asked questions about apnea with brief answers.
Is sleep apnea the same as snoring?
Nearly everyone who has sleep apnea snores, but not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Snoring that allows continued breathing is not sleep apnea. Snoring that stops breathing is sleep apnea.
Are there other diseases that can cause snoring or interrupted sleep at night?
Yes. Allergies and asthma are major causes of insomnia. In the elderly, poor thyroid function can interfere with sleep. Emphysema and chronic kidney failure also interfere with normal sleep patterns. It's important to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis of the causes of your sleeping problems.
I feel irritable/angry/grouchy all the time. Is my problem sleep apnea?
Unless you are told that you have periods of interrupted breathing followed by loud, explosive breathing at night, chances are your emotional status reflects some other problem. A medical diagnosis is necessary to tell for sure.
Is it absolutely essential to get eight uninterrupted hours of sleep?
If you wake up in the middle of the night, you can make up your lost sleep in a ratio of about 90 minutes of extra sleep for every 60 minutes of sleep interruption. If you are awake for two hours in the middle of the night, you will need about three hours of additional sleep to feel refreshed in the morning. This means getting up eleven hours (8 hours for the current night + 2 hours not sleeping the previous night + 1 hour additional sleep) after you go to bed. Before the invention of the electric light, it was not unusual for people to go to bed at sundown and get up at sunrise, waking up in the middle of the night for a midnight snack or other activities.
Does sleep apnea cause headaches?
Sleep apnea causes morning headaches that go away as oxygen levels in the bloodstream increase throughout the day.
I heard a doctor on the radio say that all you need to do to control snoring and sleep apnea is to sleep on your stomach. Is this right?
It is possible that sleeping on your stomach may relieve obstructive sleep apnea, as it allows the jaw to drop down and move forward, keeping the airway around the palate at the top of the mouth free and clear. Sleeping on your stomach will not do anything to help central apnea. If you have heartburn, however, sleeping on your stomach will make symptoms much worse, and if you don't have heartburn yet, sleeping on your stomach is a way to get it.
Does sleep apnea cause weight gain and diabetes?
Sleep apnea seems to make both weight gain and diabetes worse. Low oxygen levels encourage the formation of inflammatory hormones. Inflammation stores fluids in belly fat, causing weight gain even without fat gain, and also interferes with the ability of the pancreas to create insulin.
Is lying still with my eyes closed as beneficial as sleep?
No. Your body makes growth hormone while you sleep, and sleep is necessary for breaking down stress hormones and recycling some of the hormones that increase appetite. If you don't get enough sleep, you won't just feel tired all the time, you will probably also gain weight.
Do sleeping pills help sleep apnea?
Sleeping pills actually make sleep apnea worse. Every time sleep apnea interrupts breathing during the night, the brain has to restart it by triggering the reflex action that opens airways with a snore or a snort. Drinking a nightcap or taking a sleeping pill causes the brain to take longer to trigger the reflex. This allows the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream to fall lower, which also lengthens the amount of time the brain needs to restart breathing.
What is the difference between obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea results from a physical obstruction in the airways. Central sleep apnea results from the brain's failure to send signals to the lungs so that they continue to breathe. It is easy to tell the difference. Obstructive sleep apnea causes snoring and snorting, while central sleep apnea causes shallow breathing that is nearly silent. Sometimes otherwise healthy trekkers and tourists suffer central sleep apnea in places like Tibet and the Andes because oxygen levels in the air are very low.
Is sleep apnea genetic?
People who have sleep apnea often have family members who also have sleep apnea, but the common factor may be obesity rather than genetics.
I often wake up with the physical symptoms of a panic attack even though I don't feel especially panicked. Can sleep apnea do this?
When you aren't breathing, your heart pumps hard and fast to keep oxygen circulating to the brain. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you may notice your heart pounding. If rapid, strong heartbeat stops after a few minutes, sleep apnea is a likely cause.
What is the relationship between sleep apnea and stroke?
It's important to know that most people who have sleep apnea never have strokes, and most people who have strokes don't have sleep apnea. However, severe sleep apnea can interfere with the heart's normal rhythm. When disturbances in sleep result in atrial fibrillation, then the way the heart pumps blood can cause clots that in turn cause stroke.
Is sleep apnea ever fatal?
Because the brain restarts breathing, sleep apnea is almost never directly fatal unless there has been excessive use of alcohol, morphine, or some other sedative. People who have blood clotting disorders or atrial fibrillation, may in very rare instances suffer fatal heart attacks or strokes as a result of sleep apnea.
What will happen if I don't do anything about my sleep apnea?
The risk of car crashes and accidents at work and at home is much greater for people who have untreated sleep apnea. Both men and women who have sleep apnea are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and men who have sleep apnea often develop erectile dysfunction. Marriages and intimate relationships often break up over sleeping issues, and at the very least, you may find you need another bedroom to keep peace in your home.
