Sleep Apnea – Definition and Its Health Risks

Definition Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that affects a person's breathing while they sleep. Sleep apnea causes sufferers to have difficulty breathing or to stop breathing entirely during sleep. Breathing may pause for around 10 seconds to several minutes and can recur many times throughout the night.

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder, yet it remains largely unrecognized and often overlooked. In fact, 80% of people with sleep apnea are unaware that they have sleep apnea because the primary symptoms occur during sleep without the sufferer's awareness.

Symptoms Sleep Apnea

Symptoms sleep apnea include:

• Snoring
• Sudden coughing or choking during sleep
• Frequent urination at night
• Still feeling tired upon waking
• Morning headaches
• Irritability and mood swings
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Difficulty concentrating

Types Sleep Apnea

There are 3 types of sleep apnea classified according to their causes, namely:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Obstructive sleep apnea, more commonly known as OSA, is the most sleep apnea common and prevalent type. OSA is caused by the collapse of soft tissues such as the tongue and tonsils, which block the throat so that breathing stops because air cannot reach the lungs.

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)

Central sleep apnea, more commonly referred to as CSA, is a type of sleep apnea that occurs less frequently than OSA. This type of sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send signals to the body to breathe. As a result, the body stops breathing even though there is no physical obstruction in the throat.

Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome (CSAS)

Complex sleep apnea is a combination of OSA and CSA. People with MSA may experience part of their sleep affected by OSA and the other part by CSA. Although both cause breathing to stop, OSA and CSA require different treatments. CSAS is also known as Mixed Sleep Apnea (MSA).

Health Risks Sleep Apnea of Sleep Apnea

In the short term, sleep apnea can cause sleep deprivation symptoms such as drowsiness, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating. However, in the long term, sleep apnea can also trigger various serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Why is sleep apnea dangerous? Doesn't breathing only stop for 10 seconds?

To answer that question, you first need to understand the sleep apnea cycle below.

The Cycle Sleep Apnea

OSA occurs when the throat muscles relax and loosen during sleep and can no longer hold soft tissues such as the tongue and tonsils in place. As a result, these soft tissues collapse and block the airway, preventing air from entering the lungs and causing breathing to stop.

This is what causes a person to suddenly stop breathing during sleep. Even so, the breathing pause does not last long — after about 10 seconds, the brain becomes aware and signals the body to rouse slightly, not to fully wake up, but just enough for the muscles to lift the soft tissues back up and unblock the airway.

Breathing resumes and the body begins to re-enter the sleep phase. At that point, the muscles start to relax again and sleep apnea occurs once more. This sleep apnea cycle continues to repeat many times throughout the night. This cycle does not only occur in OSA; CSA also follows a similar pattern.

So, the danger of sleep apnea is not simply due to breathing stopping, but rather stems from the effects of these repeated pauses — brief as they are — occurring over and over during sleep. This prevents the body from getting quality rest, leads to oxygen deficiency, and causes fatigue.

These conditions can disrupt the body's repair processes, place greater strain on bodily organs, prevent the body from reaching deep sleep, and interfere with the production of important hormones. This is what makes sleep apnea dangerous to one's health.

Causes Sleep Apnea

So, why does someone develop sleep apnea? There are many risk factors that contribute to sleep apnea, including:

Age

As the body's functions gradually decline with age, muscle strength and the brain's ability to send signals to the body are also affected. These changes can contribute to the development of sleep apnea.

Body Weight

In addition to age, excess body weight is also a cause of sleep apnea. A thick buildup of fat around the neck area can compress the throat and narrow the airway, which can be one of the causes of difficulty breathing during sleep.

Sex

Jenis kelamin laki-laki 25% lebih cenderung mengidap sleep apnea dibanding perempuan. Ini merupakan salah satu alasan mengapa laki-laki tidur mendengkur.

Gaya Hidup

Gaya hidup merokok dan minum alkohol juga merupakan penyebab sleep apnea. Hal ini karena pengaruh zat nikotin dan efek sedatif alkohol yang dapat memicu pembengkakan tenggorokan dan melemaskan otot-otot tubuh.

Cara Mengatasi Sleep Apnea

Meskipun gejala sleep apnea mirip dengan efek kurang tidur, namun menambah durasi tidur bukanlah solusi yang tepat. Kondisi kurang tidur pada sleep apnea tidak dapat diatasi dengan menambah waktu tidur karena sleep apnea adalah gangguan penapasan yang terjadi saat penderitanya tertidur.

Jadi, berapa lamapun kamu tertidur tidak dapat menyembuhkan gejala yang kamu rasakan. Sleep apnea akan tetap terjadi dan tubuh tetap tidak mendapatkan istirahat yang maksimal. Cara mengatasi sleep apnea yang efektif adalah dengan langsung mengatasi sumber masalahnya.

Apakah sleep apnea bisa disembuhkan?

Sleep apnea dapat diatasi dengan terapi CPAP, yaitu terapi yang memberikan tekanan udara untuk menjaga saluran napas tetap terbuka selama tidur. Meski begitu, sleep apnea sendiri bukanlah penyakit sehingga tidak ada ukuran kesembuhan.

Penderita sleep apnea perlu memakai alat terapi CPAP selama tidur untuk mengatasi sleep apnea yang terjadi dan mendapatkan kembali tidur nyenyak yang berkualitas. Rekomendasi alat terapi CPAP terbaik untuk sleep apnea adalah ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset.

ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset dapat mendeteksi tingkat penyempitan saluran napas, membedakan OSA dan CSA, serta menyesuaikan tekanan udara yang diberikan sesuai dengan kebutuhan pengguna. Selain itu, dukungan koneksi wireless dan fitur terapi yang lengkap dapat membantu pemula lebih mudah beradaptasi dengan terapi CPAP.

Penutup

Apnea tidur adalah gangguan tidur yang umum dialami banyak orang, karena itu jangan khawatir bila kamu salah satunya. Kamu bisa menggunakan terapi CPAP untuk mengatasi sleep apnea dan mendapatkan kembali tidur yang berkualitas.

Resindo Medika adalah distributor dan service center resmi ResMed di Indonesia, kamu bisa mendapatkan alat terapi CPAP terbaik, masker dan aksesoris lengkap serta dukungan servis dan kalibrasi yang andal disini. One stop solution for all your therapy needs!

Sekian informasi mengenai pengertian, bahaya, dan cara mengobati sleep apnea. Semoga bermanfaat!