What is OSA?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a chronic (i.e., ongoing) sleep disorder. People with OSA experience stops, pauses, or shallow breathing due to blockage in their throat that occurs only when they sleep. An estimated 80 million Americans and up to 1 billion people world-wide may have OSA. Many people have OSA and do not know it because they have not been tested.
What happens during OSA?
People with OSA experience pauses in their breathing (called 'apneas') or shallow breathing (called 'hypoapneas'). Both apneas and hypoapneas result in low levels of oxygen in the blood. These events may wake you up as often as 1-2 times per minute.
Who is affected by OSA?
- OSA is very common and affects people of all ages.
- It is more common in males, people over 40 years of age and those who are overweight or obese.
-It has been estimated 9-25% of men and 4-15% of women have moderate to severe OSA.
- Other risk factors for OSA include smoking and alcohol consumption, nighttime nasal congestion, menopause, and genetic factors.
How is OSA severity classified?
OSA can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on:
- The number of times an hour a person pauses their breathing or has lower airflow.
- The oxygen level in a person's blood during the pauses.
- How sleepy a person feels during the day.
Can losing weight cure OSA?
Regardless of the choice you make about treatment, your doctor may recommend losing weight.
How serious is OSA?
Untreated OSA may:
- Cause poor quality of life and sleep quality, leading to daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of accidents at work or when driving.
- Increase the risk of serious health problems, including diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and even death.
- The present study is aimed at answering if untreated OSA accelerates the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease and memory loss associated with aging.
Why treat OSA?
- If you have symptoms from OSA, such as excessive daytime sleepiness, loud snoring disruptive to others – these are highly likely to improve with treatment.
- It is generally believed that the risk of developing or worsening high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease (such as heart attacks, heart failure and even death), memory and concentration problems, and several other serious health issues is reduced if you treat your sleep apnea – however this is not fully proven at this time.