ANCSLEEP BLOG

Who is at Risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Posted by Tyler Britton on Aug 29, 2021 2:24:00 PM

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a medical condition and sleeping disorder that causes you to stop breathing for about 20 seconds many times throughout the night. Each time you stop breathing, your body rouses itself to force you to start breathing again. Each of these stop-start breathing cycles is called an apnea event, and they essentially prevent you from getting restful sleep, leading to moderate to severe sleep deprivation. OSA can cause significantly negative impacts on your life. Some are more at risk to develop OSA than others, the question is: are you at risk?

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Is My Snoring Normal or Caused by Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Posted by Tyler Britton on Aug 27, 2021 2:23:00 PM

Chronic Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Chronic, “socially unacceptable” snoring could just be something that is the cause of jokes in your family. It could also be sign that you have obstructive sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder and medical condition. Loud, chronic snoring is one of the primary symptoms of OSA, and is often one of the first signs that something isn’t quite right about one’s sleeping.

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Do I Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea? How to Know.

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jul 27, 2021 2:02:00 PM

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder, and potentially serious medical condition. OSA causes you to stop breathing for 20+ seconds many times throughout the night, anywhere from 40 to hundreds of times each night. Every time you stop breathing you rouse yourself out of sleep to begin breathing again - preventing you from entering the deep, restorative stages of sleep. In the morning you will not remember rousing, though you will certainly feel the effects of not having any restful sleep!

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Why Minor Obstructive Sleep Apnea Still Requires CPAP Therapy

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jul 16, 2021 1:53:00 PM

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition and sleeping disorder where you repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night, anywhere from 5 to 30+ times per hour. Each time you stop breathing you wake yourself out of sleep to begin breathing again, though in the morning you will not remember. However, you will feel extremely tired, but unsure of why.

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Overview of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jul 10, 2021 1:50:00 PM

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious medical condition and sleeping disorder that can lead to severe sleep deprivation. OSA causes you to repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night, anywhere from 5 to 30+ times per hour. Each time you stop breathing you wake up to stop start breathing again, however, you may not remember waking up. This can lead to you feeling exhausted after a night of sleep and having no idea why. Continue reading to find out more about obstructive sleep apnea. 

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Sleeping Medication and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jun 12, 2021 1:33:00 PM

What Exactly is a Sleeping Medication

Sleeping medications are known as sedative hypnotics. They relax the mind and body in order to help prompt sleep. They are prescribed to people who have trouble falling asleep, and/or staying asleep, such as in the case of insomniacs.

Sleeping medications can be:

  • Pills like ambien, Klonopin, etc.
  • Over the counter aids like Benadryl, Tylenol-PM, and Advil-PM
  • Side effects of antihistamine, and antidepressants

For insomniacs they can feel like a lifeline, but they also come with hidden dangers. Most notable, they are not a reasonable solution for people with untreated obstructive sleep apnea. In the words of sleep specialist Dr. Thomas Winkler, “For my patients with untreated sleep apnea, I tell them [taking sleeping pills] is a bad idea.”

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Anti-Anxiety Drugs and Sleep Apnea

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jun 6, 2021 1:30:00 PM

What Exactly is an Anti-Anxiety Drug

Anti-anxiety drugs are a class of medications called benzodiazepines, which, in addition to treating anxiety, are used to treat muscle spasms. Some examples are:

  • Valium (Diazepam)
  • Xanax (Alprazolam)
  • Ativan (Lorazepam)

One side effect of using anti-anxiety medications such as these is that, like sleeping pills, they relax your muscles. For people who already have untreated obstructive sleep apnea or are at risk for developing it, anti-anxiety medications may not be a good idea.

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Prone to Sleep Apnea – Biggest Risk Factors

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jun 5, 2021 1:29:00 PM

What is Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a medical disorder where you repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night, anywhere from 40-100+ times per night. When you stop breathing you temporarily wake up to start breathing again. You are unaware of these arousals in the morning, so you will feel unrested, but be unsure why.

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

What is Central Sleep Apnea (Complete Overview)

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jun 1, 2021 1:26:00 PM

What is Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)

Central sleep apnea (CSA) is a condition in which you repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night because your body ceases sending signals to your lungs to breathe. 

When this happens, you have to then wake up to begin breathing again (called an “apnea” or “apnea event”). Due to CSA, you may have anywhere from 40 to 100+ apnea events per night. The most common scale used to measure the severity of sleep apnea is number of apneas per hour:

  • Mild sleep apnea: 5-14 apneas per hour of sleep
  • Moderate sleep apnea: 15-30 apneas per hour of sleep
  • Severe apnea: 30+ apneas per hour of sleep

Both mild and severe CSA can lead to a high degree of sleep deprivation and all of the associated health problems that are associated with sleep deprivation. CSA is relatively uncommon compared to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

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Topics: Sleep Apnea

Socially Unacceptable Snoring – The Real Reason You Should Care

Posted by Tyler Britton on May 28, 2021 1:24:00 PM

What is the Socially Unacceptable Snoring Threshold (Criteria)

Snoring can be a common sleep behavior, but did you know that there is actually a criteria to determine if your snoring is problematic? There’s normal or periodic snoring, and then there’s the socially unacceptable snoring (SUS) that you might describe as extreme, over the top or embarrassing snoring. Socially unacceptable snoring describes a person whose snoring may fit many or all of the following:

  • Is the source of many family jokes
  • Comes with an “earplugs required” caveat for their bed partner
  • Will make it hard for people sleeping in adjacent rooms to sleep
  • The loudness is the rule, not the exception
  • Happens most nights (or every night)

While socially unacceptable snoring might be cause for jokes among friends and family and/or frustration for bed partners, it may actually be a bigger personal problem for the snorer. While bed partner’s sleep might be disrupted, SUS is a primary symptom of a serious medical condition and sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can have significant health consequences.

Knowing the differences and telltale signs between socially unacceptable snoring and SUS caused by sleep apnea are important. Identifying the potential problem underlying your chronic snoring is the first step to getting healthy again.

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Topics: Sleep Apnea, Snoring

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