After
a long, hard day at work, we all look forward to kicking off our shoes, winding
down for the evening, and getting a good night of sleep. Sleep is as natural to
us as breathing, and is easy to take for granted…until it becomes a problem.
Why
is it difficult to get a good night of sleep, even though your body and mind
want to rest? There are many explanations, and sleep apnea, a common sleep
disorder, will be discussed in this blog entry. Additional causes of poor
sleep, such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements, and
circadian rhythm disorders, and will be addressed in future entries.
Sleep
apnea is characterized by difficulty with breathing while asleep. This
breathing difficulty is called an apnea, and may range in quality, from using
more effort to breathe (obstructive sleep apnea) to complete absence of
breathing effort (central sleep apnea). Sleep apnea may make it hard to fall or
stay asleep. On top of this, sleep apnea affects your health in the long-term
if left untreated. Sleep apnea increases your risk of diabetes, high blood
pressure, stroke and death, among others.
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Unfortunately,
we are often not aware of having sleep apnea because we can’t observe ourselves
while sleeping. However, if someone sleeps with you at night, he or she may
have seen you stop breathing, or heard you snoring, both of which are signs
suggestive of sleep apnea. Other risk factors for sleep apnea include male
gender, being overweight, and older age.
How
can you figure out whether you have sleep apnea? If you have a sleeping
partner, ask him or her whether they have witnessed you snoring or stop breathing
while asleep. You can also take the following questionnaire, called the STOP
BANG questionnaire, to determine whether you are at increased risk for
obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type of sleep apnea. Answering “YES”
to three or more questions indicates that you are at higher risk for obstructive
sleep apnea, and should see a sleep specialist for further evaluation.
STOP
BANG Questionnaire
Have you been
told that you Snore? YES NO
Are you often Tired during the day? YES NO
Do
you know if you stOp breathing or
has anyone witnessed you YES NO
stop
breathing while you are asleep? YES NO
Do
you have high blood Pressure or are
you on medication to YES NO
control
high blood pressure?
Is your Body mass index greater than 28? YES NO
Are you 50 years
old of Age or older? YES NO
Are
you a man with a Neck circumference
>17 inches, or YES NO
a woman with a
neck circumference > 16 inches?
Are you of male Gender? YES NO
For
more information on obstructive sleep apnea:
http://yoursleep.aasmnet.org/Disorder.aspx?id=7
En
Espanol: http://yoursleep.aasmnet.org/pdf/OSASnoringSpanish.pdf
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