Dorothy FarrarBreathing pauses at night
Breathing pauses at night can last a few minutes and sometimes even become life-threatening. Those affected suffer from what is known as sleep apnea, which, in addition to pronounced daytime sleepiness, also entails an increased risk of high blood pressure or strokes.
What are breathing pauses at night?
Most people will have intentionally held their breath at some point in order to breathe deeply and freely again after a short time and increasing oxygen shortage. For some, however, this happens unintentionally and often unnoticed during sleep.
Sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by pauses in breathing during the night, which disrupts the oxygen supply and leads to repeated arousal reactions that prevent suffocation. According to the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine, an estimated 800,000 people in Germany are affected by the disease. Most of them are overweight men between the ages of 30 and 60, but postmenopausal women are also at risk.
While some patients experience pauses in breathing of up to 2 minutes, others experience up to 200 brief pauses per hour. The wake-up reactions usually go unnoticed, which is why many sufferers are not diagnosed at all. This can have serious consequences. Adequate oxygen supply to the heart and brain is no longer guaranteed. In the long term, this causes chronic high blood pressure, which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks.
Causes
Depending on the causes, three forms of sleep apnea are distinguished. Obstructive apnea is the most common form of breathing pauses. It is caused by a narrowing of the airways, especially the nose and throat. Since the body does not have the same muscle tone during sleep as it does when awake, some tightening is normal. However, in patients affected by sleep apnea, the space becomes even narrower. The pharyngeal muscles relax in such a way that the tongue moves backwards and closes the upper airways.Central apnea is much less common. It is caused by damage to the central nervous system , which disrupts respiratory regulation. In contrast to the normal state, the respiratory drive no longer occurs automatically and regularly. Mixed forms also occur in some affected individuals. Fat deposits in the throat caused by being overweight are one of the causes of breathing pauses at night.
Malformations of the jaw, palate and tongue can also disrupt the air supply. A disrupted communication between nerves and muscles can be the cause of the disease. This often occurs as a result of alcohol consumption or taking medication that causes the muscles to relax.
Diseases
- Chronic high blood pressure
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
Diagnosis and course
Sleep apnea is mainly noticeable through noticeably loud snoring , which is accompanied by breathing pauses and heavy gasping . Those affected usually do not notice it, but people sleeping in the same room often become aware of it. Medicine assumes, however, that most of those affected are never diagnosed. The result is serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, which in the worst case can trigger strokes and heart attacks.
Studies have found that sleep apnea sufferers account for 65 percent of deaths from these conditions. The sleep disorder is also noticeable through headaches , difficulty concentrating and mood swings and can even cause depression and impotence. The diagnosis is usually made by measuring bodily functions during sleep . This is often done using a portable measuring device that is given to the person concerned.
Beforehand, the attending ENT doctor asks various questions about the medical history ( anamnesis ) and examines the patient for anatomical abnormalities. In some cases, an additional examination in the sleep laboratory is necessary. In addition to breathing, other factors that indicate sleep disorders are examined in a screening. The measurements, called polysomnography, are carried out using electrodes on the skin. A stay in the sleep laboratory lasts one to two nights.
Treatment and therapy
If the diagnosis is clear and the causes could be determined, there are various options for treating the sleep disorder. While obstructive and mixed sleep apnea are treated in almost the same way, central apnea requires special therapy. Different treatment approaches are often combined. Weight loss is recommended for overweight people to get rid of narrowing of the throat.
The consumption of alcohol and symptom-aggravating medication should be avoided. Instead, drug therapy is initiated using theophylline. Positive pressure breathing, also known as CPAP ventilation, is considered the most effective treatment method. The patient wears a breathing mask at night, which is connected to a device for positive pressure breathing. The air that flows through the airways has a higher pressure and stabilizes the upper airways over the entire breathing cycle – from the entrance to the nose to the trachea. It has been observed that the CPAP procedure significantly improves the quality of sleep. Both the breathing disorder and snoring, the cardiovascular risks and the daytime symptoms are reduced significantly in some cases.
If sleep apnea occurs as a result of jaw misalignments, surgery is often considered as a solution. Some of those affected can also be helped by inserting bite splints in the upper and lower jaw. Treatment for central sleep apnea often consists of administering the drug acetazomamide. In some cases, full ventilation is also required, which is carried out at home.
Prevention
In order to prevent the development of sleep apnea at an early stage, there are a number of measures that each individual can take. Since obesity has been identified as one of the main causes of the disease, it makes sense to strive for weight reduction if necessary, or to prevent it from happening in the first place through healthy eating and exercise. When it comes to alcohol consumption, you should make sure not to drink anything two hours before going to bed.
Alcohol causes muscles to relax, increasing the likelihood of respiratory failure. Caution is also required with medicines, especially sleeping pills and sedatives . These slow breathing and should be stopped if sleep apnea is suspected. The importance of “proper sleep” should not be underestimated either. While the supine position promotes snoring and breathing stops, the lateral position is recommended by doctors as a safe sleeping position. A regular sleeping rhythm, suitable pillows and mattresses as well as calming rituals support restful sleep.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.