Obstructive Sleep Apnea Essay

”Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by collapse or closure of the upper airway, resulting in cessation of airflow, despite persistent ventilatory effort.”8 Unlike many mammals, the hyoid bone in a human is not anchored to the skeleton, therefore, the pharynx has little support. The oropharynx is kept patent by skeletal muscles working together. It is for this reason that a collapse in the oral pharyngeal region can easily occur causing an upper airway obstruction.1 During sleep patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea experience a cycle of partial or complete obstructions causing apnea followed by the reopening of the airway during arousals. These periods of apnea can cause hypoxemia. Over time hypoxemia along with fragmented sleep can lead to cardiovascular disease.
Types. There are two types of obstructive sleep apnea; accompanied by hypoxia or no hypoxia present. Palma organized a study to compare the differences between a group of obstructive sleep apnea patients with hypoxia and a group without hypoxia. The results showed that patients without hypoxia had a body mass index that was lower and roughly forty percent of patients had previous upper airway surgeries. This suggests that surgery may have been a correcting factor. These patients also had more awakenings and shorter apnea durations.9
Diagnosing Sleep Apneas Symptoms …show more content…
It is easy for people to miss symptoms of sleep apnea because some of them occur during sleep. For this reason, it is important to take note when someone who shares living space informs you of things like snoring. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include struggling to breathe while asleep, interruption of sleep followed by a gasp for air, excessive daytime sleepiness, personality changes, depression, and cognitive difficulties.10 If these symptoms are recognized it is important to speak with a doctor in order to get a proper