02 Apr Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): Symptoms, Risks & Diagnosis Explained
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a common yet serious sleep disorder characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep due to the partial or complete collapse of the upper airway.
These pauses in breathing, known as apneas, can last from a few seconds to minutes and may occur multiple times per hour, leading to fragmented sleep and decreased oxygen levels in the blood.
Millions of people all over the world suffer from sleep issues. Snoring is usually a blockage in breath-and sometimes choke-breathing has possible upper-airway occlusion.
If not treated, sleep disorders can become much worse and lead to illness.
Fortunately, effective solutions are available, including specialized snoring treatment Center in patna bihar, where expert care and advanced therapies help patients breathe easier and sleep better.
In this blog, we’ll dive into the causes, symptoms, and what is the newest treatment for sleep apnea, shedding light on how to reclaim restful nights.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep due to the relaxation or blockage of the upper airway.
These pauses in breathing, called apneas, can last from a few seconds to over a minute and may happen dozens or even hundreds of times per night, severely disrupting sleep.
Most affected are adults, although pediatric cases may be found.
The main sign of obstructive sleep apnea is loud snoring with long pauses in breathing, along with frequent coughing and gasping for air during sleep.
How it works?
During sleep, there is progressive muscular relaxation throughout the throat irrespective of the hour of night.
This state of relaxation in itself constitutes a state of peace for the body.
To explain it simply, neck tightness can make it hard to breathe or stop breathing completely in people with obstructive sleep apnea, even when they would normally breathe fine.
This can prevent air from getting into the lungs or block the mouth, which is separate from the two airways.
Now, when oxygen saturation levels in blood start dropping, the brain interrupts sleep to kick-start breathing.
Most people don’t realize they stop breathing for a long time, but those with OSA often don’t notice it.
However, this can break their sleep cycle, and it can happen more than a hundred times each night. Each time a person gasps for air, it wakes them up from deep, restful sleep.
This causes them to have bad sleep. They don’t get enough deep sleep or REM sleep.
People with OSA often feel tired in the morning even after lying in bed for a long time.
This can lead to feeling very sleepy during the day, having trouble focusing, and getting worse physical and mental health over time.
Key Difference: OSA vs. Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): When a person has trouble breathing during sleep because their throat muscles relax too much and block the airway.
This blockage causes them to snore loudly and sometimes choke or gasp for air as their body tries to breathe again.
On the other hand, central sleep apnea (CSA) happens when the brain does not send the right signals to the muscles that control breathing.
In CSA, a person may stop breathing for a while without any blockage in the airway. This can cause shallow breathing or no breathing at all.
Both OSA and CSA can disrupt sleep and lower oxygen levels, but OSA is more common.
People with OSA often snore or make choking sounds because of the blockage.
In contrast, people with CSA usually do not snore or choke; instead, they might breathe very lightly or stop breathing completely.
The signs of OSA, like snoring and gasping, are easy to notice, while the signs of CSA are more subtle and harder to recognize.
Sleep Apnea vs Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Is there a difference between OSA and sleep apnea? YES!
There is a key difference between Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and the broader term sleep apnea:
Sleep Apnea is a broad term for breathing interruptions during sleep, categorized into three types:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – Most common (90% of cases), caused by throat muscle relaxation blocking the airway.
- Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) – Less common; the brain fails to signal breathing muscles.
- Mixed/Complex Sleep Apnea – A combination of OSA and CSA.
On the other hand, OSA specifically involves physical airway blockage, leading to snoring, gasping, and oxygen drops.
Treatment includes CPAP, oral devices, or surgery. Non-obstructive types (CSA) require neurological or cardiac evaluation.
Both disrupt sleep, but OSA is more directly linked to obesity, snoring, and ENT issues.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be different for each person. Some people may have symptoms but not know they are sick.
Here are the common symptoms:
Loud Snoring:
Loud and more frequent snoring is one of the most familiar symptoms of OSA.
The airway is partially obliterated, so that vibration occurs within the surrounding tissues of the throat, causing disturbances for both partners, including the one who snores and their sleep partner.
Excessive daytime sleepiness or generally feeling tired:
OSA will have people feeling excessively sleepy during the day; sleep has been interrupted from the night before, and, with it, counts down the hours in bed.
The tiredness is so great that it’s hard or impossible for people to keep their eyes open, concentrate, or do their daily activities.
Usually, people tend to fall asleep at the wrong times, such as at work or behind the wheel.
Sleep is often disturbed (insomnia):
Affected people will find it difficult to get a complete sleep cycle because of the many interruptions and the presence or absence of breathing when someone has OSA.
This results in them waking most of the time at night and then, after waking, finding it very hard to sleep again. It is associated with and predisposes to insomnia, which is a complication of the disorder.
Dry mouth or sore throat when they wake:
Another example is waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth, which often happens to people who breathe through their mouths when their airways are blocked.
Breathing through the mouth at night can make the throat and mouth dry.
Difficulty concentrating or memory problems:
Lack of sleep due to OSA will lead to cognitive dysfunction.
Untreated persons suffering from OSA have concentration problems, memory lapses, and little clarity of thought.
It then affects their performance at work or school and alters a person’s quality of life.
Morning headaches:
It is because hypoxia in sleep causes constriction and later expansion of blood vessels in the brain, as the person sleeps.
This is why some people get morning headaches.
It happens because of changes in blood flow that are part of this condition, mainly caused by low oxygen or not enough carbon dioxide in the body.
Apart from the adverse effects on an individual’s quality of life, these symptoms stay the same without treatment.
Being irritable and having mood swings are also effects of being very tired and having trouble thinking, which make it hard to do everyday tasks.
What Is The Main Cause Of OSA?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) mainly happens when throat muscles relax too much, causing the airway to temporarily close while sleeping.
This blockage stops air from flowing and can lead to pauses in breathing or shallow breaths.
When the brain notices low oxygen levels because of this blockage, it sends a signal to wake you up a little, allowing normal breathing to return.
This pattern of waking up disrupts sleep and stops restful sleep from happening.
Some factors make a person more likely to have this problem by either blocking the airway or making it harder for the body to keep the airway open.
Among these, Obstructive sleep apnea causes are:
Obesity:
Excess weight remains one of the potent causes of OSA, particularly with its deposition around the neck and throat area.
Fat masses exert pressure upon the airway, which renders it narrow and readily collapsible.
Therefore, persons who are overweight or obese have a strikingly greater incidence of OSA because of the extra weight borne on the upper airway during sleeping.
Anatomical Features:
A few anatomical factors could predispose an individual to develop a higher risk for OSA.
Tonsillar or adenoid hypertrophy in a child may block the airway and ultimately result in many types of breathing problems during sleep.
Soft tissue-related obstructions created by perhaps a large tongue, small or narrow airway, or some abnormality arising due to jaw or face structures can contribute.
Some aspects of certain individuals are present at birth; others are acquired later in life.
Aging:
The older you get, the greater the risk factor for OA.
The older you are, the greater the weakening of the throat muscles, including all those critical for keeping an open airway.
So when a person goes to sleep, their airway collapses more easily. In addition, with age, there can be other factors that determine airway size or other conditions that aggravate OSA.
Gender:
Men, on the whole, are more likely than women to suffer from OSA.
This is due to neck circumference and fat deposits around the neck in men that predispose to airway obstruction.
However, after menopause, women who have a higher risk due to hormonal changes that affect muscle tone in the airway may be more prone to collapse.
Hereditary Occurrence:
Heredity plays a vital role in OSA development.
Hence, if any close relation, such as a parent or sibling, suffers from OSA, there are chances that you may also develop it.
Traits inherited from parents, such as a smaller or narrower airway, may predispose you to airway obstruction, leading to the development of OSA.
Is OSA left untreated, it can lead to serious health risks like hypertension and heart disease.
Therefore, understanding what are causes of obstructive sleep apnea helps in early diagnosis and effective treatment, improving sleep quality and overall well-being.
Who’s at Risk? (Risk Factors)
Many risk factors increase a person’s chances of getting OSA and are important for early detection and treatment.
The most common risk factors linked to OSA include:
1: Obesity:
Weight gain or overweight- a significant risk factor development of OSA.
Fat deposition on the neck results in airway obstruction with resultant cessation of breathing through sleep; hence, even a little weight gain could carry increased risk for OSA.
2: Age:
OSA can affect anyone, but most adults who get OSA are 40 years old or older.
As people get older, the muscles in the throat weaken, making it harder to keep the airway open while sleeping.
Younger people who are overweight may also have OSA, but it is less common in them.
3: Sex:
The male sex is predisposed to OSA more than the female sex, effectively due to anatomical aberrations like a larger neck and deposition of fat more proximally to the neck.
Beyond menopause, the risk takes a dramatic surge as hormonal alteration weakens tone, allowing them to collapse further in sleep.
4: Family History:
Besides these, there are also genetic factors that predispose to OSA.
If any close relative, for example, a parent or sibling, has OSA, then one is more susceptible to the condition.
An inherited tendency to develop a small airway can eventually culminate in airway collapse and the possible development of OSA.
5: Other Lifestyle Factors:
Various lifestyle factors also induce susceptibility to OSA, including smoking, excessive drinking, and lack of exercise.
Smoking would cause airway inflammation and swelling, thus making it difficult for someone to breathe.
Alcohol and sedatives tend to relax throat muscles, thereby increasing the risk of obstruction of airways during sleep.
A sedentary lifestyle translates into obesity, a risk factor for developing OSA.
How OSA is Diagnosed?
Diagnosing OSA involves a combination of medical evaluation, symptom assessment, and sleep testing to confirm airway blockage during sleep.
Here’s the step-by-step process:
Polysomnography (Sleep Study):
Polysomnography is an exhaustive and most accurate diagnostic tool for OSA.
It mostly keeps an individual overnight in a sleep center and monitors all brain activity, eye movement, heart rate, blood oxygen concentration, and breath pattern.
It gives extensive information on the length and type of airway obstruction during sleep, which is very helpful for determining severity.
Home Sleep Apnea Test (HSAT):
In select individuals, polysomnography is replaced with a home sleep study.
The procedure HSAT consists of an instrumentation that assesses airflow, breathing modes, and oxygen levels during sleep in a home setting.
HSAT is relatively less accurate because the equipment is likely not as sensitive or precise as polysomnography and is usually reserved for patients with moderate to severe OSA.
Physical Examination:
Physical examination done by health professionals may involve checking for any anatomical abnormalities that can obstruct the airway, including isolated ones.
Mouth, throat, and neck examination also includes checking for increased size of adenoids or tonsils or any other anatomical faults that are believed to predispose someone to OSA.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea OSA Treatment
The main goal of OSA treatment is to keep breathing normal during sleep and avoid problems.
How to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea OSA? The treatment can be different for each person based on how serious the condition is and what caused it.
Common treatment options include:
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure:
This CPAP treatment option is an excellent first-line treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
It pumps air through a mask to the patient’s lungs while sleeping to keep the airway open during the period of sleep.
This device is very effective in eliminating any stops that nocturnal air stoppage would cause while putting the patient into a deeper and better quality sleep.
Lifestyle Changes:
A few lifestyle changes can significantly reduce away severity, thus rendering somewhat undesirable treatment options unnecessary.
Such include weight loss, avoiding alcohol and other sedatives close to bedtime, quitting smoking, and sleeping in a way that facilitates free breathing during sleep by reducing airway obstruction.
Oral Appliances:
In certain selected cases, an oral appliance might be prescribed by a dentist.
These are apparatus that sit in the mouth during sleep and reposition the jaw and tongue, thus preventing obstruction in the airway.
They are most useful in mild-to-moderate disorders of sleep apnea.
Surgery:
Surgery is reserved as the last option for those who have severe cases of OSA that do not respond to other methods, both conservative and therapeutic.
In these situations, surgery may be needed to clear blocked airways, depending on the cause.
This could involve removing extra tissue from the throat, moving the jaw, or fixing any physical problem causing the blockage.
Surgery should only be an option after trying all other treatments.
Positional Therapy:
This treatment uses special tools or methods to stop a person from sleeping on their back, which could make breathing problems worse.
It is also suggested to sleep on the side to help prevent blocked airways, leading to better sleep.
You can get specialized care that is catered to your needs by going to a snoring treatment center in Patna, Bihar like Pratap Neuro & Child Psychiatry for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
This facility successfully treats snoring and breathing problems with professional diagnosis using sleep studies and cutting-edge therapies including CPAP therapy, mouth appliances, or lifestyle counseling.
Our center address the neurological and physical components of OSA, lowering dangers like weariness or heart disease, with the help of qualified specialists like Dr. Vivek Pratap Singh, the top neuropsychiatrist in Patna.
Complications of Untreated OSA
Obstructive sleep apnea is very difficult to deal with.
The main problem is that a person with this condition often has to face many challenges and pays for all their mistakes.
Heart trouble:
Its unattended counterparts in OSA present as curses for anything whatsoever cardiovascular in nature.
Low saturations in the night disturb any heart, creating even the milieu for hypertension, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, and possibly stroke.
Any reversible stress on the heart will then delay the onset of heart failure.
Daytime tiredness:
Tiredness is induced by the very same OSA features that fragment sleep.
The extreme daytime sleepiness does not leave one alone, fatigue distracts with concentration, work, or just about anything mundane.
Chronic fatigue, of course, raises some stakes for accidents (road accidents being one).
Type 2 Diabetes:
OSA increases the risk of an individual developing insulin resistance that translates into type 2 diabetes.
Sleep deprivation impairs normal pancreatic functioning, whereby blood sugar is regulated and is a facilitator for the progression of diabetes.
Liver Affections:
OSA may interfere with liver functions and hence may promote events leading to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
During sleep, hypoxia could then affect the liver through lipid accumulation as well.
Psychiatric Issues:
Obstructive sleep apnea-induced poor sleep can have widely varying mental health ramifications.
Chronic sleep deprivation may contribute to the development of mood disorders, eg, depression and anxiety.
Accordingly, chronic tiredness in conjunction with poor sleep will trigger emotional dysregulation, irritability, and a poorer quality of life.
The quality of life can be greatly impacted by untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can result in serious problems like heart disease, stroke, and chronic exhaustion.
Preventing these hazards and regaining wellbeing require early intervention. Protect your health by taking action now!
Conclusion
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious but treatable sleep problem.
If ignored, it can lead to serious health issues like heart disease, diabetes, liver problems, and mental health issues.
However, with early diagnosis and proper treatment, many people with OSA can have a much better quality of life.
Those who think they might have OSA should see a doctor.
Diagnosing and treating OSA can involve CPAP therapy, lifestyle changes, and sometimes surgery, which can help reduce OSA and related long-term problems.
Furthermore, consulting a neuropsychiatrist in Patna is crucial, as they provide expert diagnosis and tailored therapies, addressing both the physical and neurological aspects of OSA.
FAQs About OSA
1: Is OSA A Serious Condition?
Yes, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a serious condition that disrupts breathing during sleep, leading to oxygen deprivation.
If untreated, it can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and severe daytime fatigue.
Its impact on physical and mental health makes early diagnosis critical. Seeking timely treatment can significantly reduce these risks and improve quality of life.
2: Can OSA be cured?
Although there may not always be a permanent solution for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), it can be efficiently managed with surgery, oral appliances, and CPAP therapy.
In moderate situations, lifestyle modifications and weight loss can greatly lessen symptoms.
For certain people, surgical procedures (such as tonsillectomy or jaw advancement) can offer long-term relief.
Restoring adequate sleep and preventing problems are two benefits of consistent treatment.
3: Is snoring a sign of OSA?
Yes, loud, frequent snoring is a key warning sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), especially if paired with gasping or breathing pauses.
However, not all snorers have OSA—it becomes concerning when accompanied by daytime fatigue or choking episodes.
A sleep study can confirm if snoring is OSA-related.
4: How do I know if I need a CPAP?
You likely need CPAP therapy if:
- A sleep study (polysomnography) confirms moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥15).
- You experience daytime fatigue, loud snoring, or choking episodes at night.
- Lifestyle changes or oral appliances fail to improve symptoms.
- A sleep specialist recommends it after evaluating your airway obstruction and oxygen levels.
5: How Is The Severity Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Osa Determined?
The severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is determined using the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), measured during a sleep study.
AHI counts the number of breathing pauses (apneas) and partial blockages (hypopneas) per hour of sleep.
Mild OSA is 5-15 events, moderate is 15-30, and severe is over 30 events per hour.
Additional factors like oxygen levels and sleep disruption also influence the assessment.
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