Sleep Apnea
In The News
Sleep apnea not
just about snoring —
it’s a serious
condition
- July 28, 2006
Malynda Wood grew up
in a family of
snorers. So the fact
that her husband
David snored didn’t
bother her. “I was
used to it,” said the
Locust Grove
resident. But what
did bother he, was
the fact that he
would also stop
breathing at night
while he slept.
“I would nudge him to
tell him to breathe,”
she said.
And as a result of
not having a good
night’s sleep, she
said her husband, a
computer technician,
was “irritable and
grumpy.” Although she
urged him to see a
doctor, he was not
too concerned with
his condition until
his work began to
suffer and he began
to have trouble
catching his breath
and had to go to an
after-hours clinic.
A doctor there
suggested that he
might have sleep
apnea.
Dr. Anthony Cheng,
who has an office in
Riverdale and treats
patients with sleep
apnea, said the
condition is caused
when the tongue,
uvula, or redundant
tissues falls to back
of the throat and
blocks the air
passage. This type of
sleep apnea is called
obstructive, and is
most common. Another
type of sleep apnea,
called central, is
more rare, he said,
and is caused by
heart problems and
certain brain
diseases.
“People don’t have a
life,” Cheng said of
those who suffer from
sleep apnea. “You
always see them
drinking coffee and
tea trying to stay
awake. They have no
quality of life.”
Cheng said symptoms
of sleep apnea
includes snoring,
headaches, memory
lapses, sleepiness
during the daytime,
falling asleep while
watching TV, and
restless leg
syndrome.
“Sometimes wives will
complain, ‘My husband
kicks me when he’s
sleeping,’” Cheng
said. “These are
simple clues to look
for.”
Some doctors say
weight gain,
depression, and
learning difficulties
may also be symptoms
of sleep apnea.
Cheng said the first
step to treating
sleep apnea is not
Snore Guard, which is
a device that helps
keep the airway open,
and is used to treat
some cases of
obstructive sleep
apnea, but it’s
getting a sleep study
or polysomnography.
Usually, a primary
care doctor can
arrange this. During
the sleep study, eye
movement, muscle
activity, heart rate,
and oxygen levels, as
well as the position
in which the patient
sleeps are studied.
The most common
method of treating
sleep apnea is the
continuous positive
airway pressure
(CPAP) machine. “It’s
a mask that covers
the nose or the nose
and mouth,” said
Cheng. “It blows
positive pressure
through the back of
the throat so that
air can pass
through,” he said.
Other methods of
treatment for
obstructive sleep
apnea includes
surgical procedures
such as the removal
of the tonsils and
redundant tissue in
the back of the
throat. “We usually
like to try the CPAP
mask first to push
positive air pressure
to open the airway,”
said Cheng. One
problem that doctors
have with patients
and the CPAP machine
is compliance. “Many
patients can’t
tolerate putting
something on their
face,” he said. In
that case, Snore
Guard might be an
option.
Dr. Jeffrey Kunkes,
who also has an
office in Riverdale
and is a member of
the American Academy
of Sleep Medicine,
said he believes most
people need to be on
CPAP. He said most
patients wear it for
several months or a
year and then they
are examined again.
“Surgery has not been
the answer,” he said.
“Only 50 to 60
percent are
successful,” he said,
adding that they
don’t perform many
surgeries these days,
but when they do, it
is to make the CPAP
more tolerable.”
Unlike in the 1970s,
he said a permanent
tracheotomy in longer
the most common
treatment option for
sleep apnea. “It’s
still a treatment
option, but it’s an
option for patients
with severe apnea,”
he said. He suggests
that anyone with
diabetes,
hypertension, over 10
to 15 percent above
their normal body
weight, and men with
a size 18 inch neck
should be checked for
sleep apnea.
If sleep apnea goes
untreated, Cheng said
it could lead to
serious problems such
as cardiac arrhythmia
or even sudden death.
“It affects the whole
body,” he said.
Doctors say sleep
apnea is not just
about snoring. It’s a
disease. “We need to
make it more
acceptable for people
to wear a mask at
night, so that they
do not feel that they
are the odd ball,”
said Kunkes.
As for David Wood, it
was confirmed that he
suffered from sleep
apnea and he now uses
a CPAP machine.
“It’s made a
difference in his
life,” his wife said.
“To me, that’s the
important thing.”
If you
think you or a
loved one may
have
symptoms of a
sleep disorder,
please
contact us
today.
Help
is available!
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