Sleep apnea

Everyone experiences periods of respiratory arrest during sleep. But when does sleep apnea occur and what can you do about it?

With sleep apnea, more than 5 respiratory arrests occur per hour. If these periods last longer than 30 seconds, we wake up. This causes restless sleep, meaning we are not rested in the morning and fall asleep during the day. This occurs in about 5% of men and hardly in women.

There are two main causes for sleep apnea. Or insufficient signals are transmitted from the brain to the respiratory muscles during sleep. Or the airways close due to a loss of strength in the mouth and throat muscles.

For the diagnosis, a polysomnography must be performed in a sleep laboratory. In most cases, the treatment consists of respiratory support so that respiratory arrest cannot occur during sleep. A CPAP is often used for this. But we can first try to lose weight and not use alcohol or sleeping pills.

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 0000-00-00 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2024