It is a well-documented public health problem that many Americans don’t get enough sleep. Lack of sleep has been linked to excessive fatigue, headaches, delayed reaction times and difficulty concentrating. For many Americans, sleep deprivation is caused by environmental and lifestyle factors such as stress, overeating, technology, and busy schedules.
However, for a large number of people, lack of sleep is caused by more serious medical conditions which often go undiagnosed and can lead to serious health consequences. Many people suffer from what is called “sleep disordered breathing,” or SDB. Sleep Disordered Breathing is comprised of two different types of problems, obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Sleep disorders are associated with numerous, serious medical illnesses, including high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, heart rhythm irregularities and stroke.
Two Kinds of Sleep Disordered Breathing and Why it’s Important to Distinguish Between the Two
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common form affecting an estimated 12 million adults in the United States. It is twice as common in men as it is in women. OSA is caused by a narrowing of the upper airway or throat during sleep, which can cause severely diminished air flow to the lungs, sometimes for up to 20 seconds at a time. Often the person will gasp, snore, choke or become extremely restless during the night, and oxygen levels in the blood fall dramatically, thus causing the person to feel drowsy during the day. Typically, this type of apnea is treated with the use of nasal sprays or allergy medications, cigarette smoking cessation, losing weight and wearing a mask that provides continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which helps to keep the airway open during sleep.
Unlike OSA, Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) is more difficult to recognize and is potentially more dangerous. Patients who have CSA often have symptoms of heart disease already. CSA is different in that breathing signals from the brain are abnormal and the patient is not being told to breathe. It is not that the breathing airway is blocked (which is true in obstructive sleep apnea); rather, you do not try to breathe at all. This type of sleep apnea can be associated with serious illness, especially an illness in which the lower brainstem, which controls breathing, is affected. The best treatment of this condition currently is under study.
Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems
Sleep disordered breathing is associated with an increased risk of serious health problems, including:
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Irregular heartbeats, including atrial fibrillation, slow heart rhythms and ventricular arrhythmias
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
These are serious health concerns with major consequences. But there is hope on the horizon and technologies that seem to be helping many.
New Technologies Can Improve the Quality of Your Life
Until recently, doctors had few effective ways of treating Central Sleep Apnea. Now, there is an implantable device under investigation that controls breathing muscles during sleep by stimulating certain nerves to the diaphragm, significantly cutting the prevalence of apnea episodes. Especially important is the improvement in the quality of sleep that individuals received after the device implantation; which then resulted in an improved overall quality of life.
Cooper University Health Care is now screening for SDB using a simple monitor. Additionally, Cooper Heart Institute is involved in a clinical research study investigating the use of the implantable device in patients with CSA and has, in fact, implanted this device in patients at the Cooper Heart Institute’s Catheterization Lab within the past month. More patients are currently being enrolled in this study.
Such a device, if found effective, will become the best treatment option for patients with CSA, and could help in the improvement and prevention of more serious heart and health related issues.
For more information on Sleep Apnea, and to find out about the new technologies available go to cooperhealth.org/heart.