Sleep Apnea Symptoms, Causes & Signs

The United States is currently experiencing a sleep epidemic. Americans now average 6.8 hours of sleep per night, with 40% getting six hours or less. In the previous month, 37.9% of adults reported inadvertently falling asleep during the day at least once.

Technologies such as electricity, television, and the internet encourage us to remain up around the clock. However, for some individuals, the inability to sleep is a physical and medical condition called sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders, affecting 50-70 million US citizens and over 100 million individuals worldwide. Discover the causes, different types, and symptoms of sleep apnea in this handy guide by ApriaDirect!

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a critical sleep condition in which a patient's breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. If left untreated, it can lead to loud snoring, daytime fatigue, or more severe issues such as heart disease or high blood pressure.

Sleep Apnea Types

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: OSA is the most frequently experienced form of sleep apnea. It occurs when the mouth and throat develop a functional blockage. OSA causes the tongue to relax and fall against the soft palate during sleep; subsequently, the soft palate and uvula begin pressing against the throat, making breathing difficult and sometimes even impossible.

With OSA, the lungs continue to function correctly, and the body attempts to breathe, but not enough air can enter via the upper airway. OSA becomes more frequent with age and is more common in men, individuals who are overweight, pregnant women, and those who sleep on their backs.

Central Sleep Apnea: Central sleep apnea causes interrupted breathing at night, although it is not caused by a blockage of the upper airway. Instead, the underlying reason is neurological.

In contrast to OSA, the body does not need to force attempts at breathing against physical obstruction; therefore, there is no snoring. Instead, the individual stops breathing because the brain and neurological system do not send the signal to do so. Patients with neuromuscular illness, diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), stroke, heart failure, and other kinds of heart, kidney, or lung disease are more likely to develop central sleep apnea.

Central sleep apnea can sometimes be experienced without symptoms. Central sleep apnea can occur in a pattern known as Cheyne-Stokes breathing, which causes alternating between hyperventilating and not breathing at all.

Complex Sleep Apnea: Complex sleep apnea syndrome is a kind of sleep apnea that combines obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with central sleep apnea. Patients with this kind of sleep apnea may appear to have obstructive sleep apnea at first, but unlike regular obstructive sleep apnea patients, their symptoms are not alleviated with standard CPAP therapy.

Breathing issues remain even after the airway blockage is addressed and treated, indicating that something other than collapsing throat muscles contributes to the apnea.

Causes & Risk Factors & Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea

What Are The Symptoms & Signs Of Sleep Apnea?

People who suffer from sleep apnea experience the following symptoms:

• Excessively loud snoring

• Shallow breathing, gasping or choking during sleep

• Episodes of interrupted breathing while sleeping

• Awakening with severe headaches, dry mouth, or sore throat

• Severe difficulty falling asleep ‒ insomnia

• Daytime fatigue ‒ hypersomnia

• Trouble concentrating

• Depression and anxiety

• Frequent nighttime urination

• Night sweats

People struggling with central sleep apnea frequently wake up coughing, gasping, or experience insomnia. In children, the symptoms may not be as clear.

Common warning signs include:

• Sluggishness or lethargy

• Swallowing difficulties

• Daytime mouth breathing

• Rib cage moving inward while breathing

• Nighttime sweating

• Unusual sleeping postures, such as sleeping on one's hands and knees or with the neck hyperextended

• Bedwetting

• Learning and behavioral issues

What Causes Sleep Apnea & Associated Risk Factors

Sleep apnea can affect anyone, at any age. Although the cause of sleep apnea can differ between patients, certain factors result in an increased risk.

• Excess Weight: Obesity significantly raises the risk of sleep apnea. Fat deposits in the upper airway can obstruct breathing.

• Narrowed Airways: Some patients are observed with narrowed throats and air passages. Tonsils and adenoids can also enlarge and block the airway, especially in children.

• Gender: Men are two to three times more likely than women to suffer from sleep apnea. Women, however, appear to be at greater risk if they are overweight, and their risk seems to rise after menopause.

• Age-related Factors: Sleep apnea is reportedly more common in older patients.

• Hereditary Factors: Having relatives with sleep apnea can significantly increase your risk of developing it.

• Use Of Sedatives, Tranquilizers, Or Alcohol: These substances can worsen obstructive sleep apnea by relaxing the muscles in the throat.

• Smoking: Smokers are three times more likely than nonsmokers to develop obstructive sleep apnea. Tobacco use can increase inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway.

• Nasal Congestion: Patients are more prone to developing obstructive sleep apnea if they breathe through the nose. This can be due to an anatomical condition or allergies.

Some of the factors that may raise the risk of sleep apnea include:

• Congestive heart failure

• High blood pressure

• Type 2 diabetes

• Parkinson's disease

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome

• Hormonal abnormalities

• Chronic lung disorders such as asthma

• Stroke

How Is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?

A healthcare professional will perform an assessment based on your symptoms and sleep history, which can be provided with the assistance of a partner or family member.

Patients are usually referred to a sleep disorder facility where a sleep expert will provide a further evaluation. An evaluation often includes nightly monitoring of patient breathing patterns and other physiological systems.

Home sleep testing may also be an option. The following tests are used to identify sleep apnea:

• Nocturnal Polysomnography: Patients are linked to equipment that measures heart, lung, and brain activity, breathing patterns, movement in limbs, and blood oxygen levels while asleep.

• Home Tests: A healthcare professional can provide a simple home test that measures your heart rate, blood oxygen level, airflow, and breathing patterns during sleep.

If the findings are abnormal, a healthcare professional can recommend treatment without additional testing. But since home testing equipment may not identify all types of sleep apnea, a healthcare professional might still prescribe polysomnography even first findings are normal.

With obstructive sleep apnea, a healthcare professional may refer you to an ear, nose, and throat specialist to rule out nasal or throat obstruction. Further central sleep apnea requires the specialized assistance of a heart specialist (cardiologist) or nerve system specialist (neurologist).

Sleep Apnea Treatment With CPAP Therapy

Once diagnosed, sleep apnea treatment might be prescribed, including a tailored course of therapy and the daily use of a CPAP machine. With the wide range of devices available, choosing one can be overwhelming. Here are ApriaDirect's top choices for CPAP machines that offer quality, affordability, and a premium range of features for optimized therapy.

ResMed™ AirSense 10 AutoSet™ with Humidifier

The ResMed AirSenseTM 10 AutoSetTM CPAP Machine provides the ideal sleep treatment experience by automatically changing pressure as your requirements vary.

This quality CPAP device is simple to use. It offers intuitive therapy, featuring an integrated humidifier and sophisticated medical event detection that can be sent to your healthcare practitioner for enhanced treatment. It’s available on a 30 Day free trial to determine if this is the best treatment solution for you.

ResMed AirSense™ 11 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine

ResMed AirSense™ 11 was created and designed with the user in mind and features an upgraded touchscreen control, sleep onset detection, expiratory pressure Auto Ramp, Smart Start & Stop, EPR, Climate Control, and more.

This device features the AutoSet™ Algorithm with three different sleep therapy settings for a more targeted sleep therapy as well as sleep therapy options better suited to female patients.

3B Luna II AutoSet CPAP Machine with Humidifier

The 3B Medical Luna II Auto CPAP Machine with Humidifier is an excellent choice for individuals looking for a low-cost, high-quality CPAP machine with all of the features and advantages associated with more expensive devices. This model is known for its simplicity, unrivaled dependability, and excellent value for money.

This CPAP has all of the premium features and benefits, such as an integrated heated humidifier, compliance and therapy reporting, silent operation, universal standard tubing connections, customizable therapy settings, Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, and an intelligent auto-titrating algorithm that increases air pressure when your breathing is compromised and lowers air pressure after monitoring normal respiration for a period of time.

Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle Auto CPAP Machine

Fisher & Paykel's SleepStyle™ Auto CPAP machine combines comfort and simplicity, making it the only CPAP on the market to achieve the American Arthritis Foundation's Ease of Use Commendation.

Through a variety of innovative features, including patented SensAwake™ technology and Expiratory Relief, this auto-adjusting CPAP machine provides world-class obstructive sleep apnea therapy. Breathe more easily and securely throughout the night with integrated ThermoSmart™ humidification and lightweight AirSpiral™ breathing tube.

SleepStyle Auto gives you fast access to your sleep treatment data through built-in Bluetooth technology and the SleepStyle app.

The SleepStyle Auto CPAP is stylish, compact, and quiet, and it fits discretely on your bedside table and features a premium carry bag for travel.

Take Control Of Your Health, Well-being, And Night-time Breathing With ApriaDirect

ApriaDirect is passionate about convenience and affordability, offering a one-stop CPAP Therapy solution. We stock all of the devices featured above as well as a range of accessories and replacement parts, all from the convenience of our online medical supply platform.

It is important to note that a prescription is required for all CPAP devices. We can pull an existing prescription on file with ApriaDirect or Apria Healthcare. If you do not already have a prescription on file, your healthcare professional can email or fax one to ApriaDirect at prescriptions@apria.com or 949-639-6912.

Looking for something specific? Our experts are on call every day between 8:00 am - 10:00 pm EST at (800) 780-1508 to assist.