Did you know that you could have different stages of sleep apnea? They can range anywhere from mild to severe cases of sleep apnea. It all depends on the way your body stops breathing and how many times you stop breathing within an hour of sleep. Let’s take a look at the different types and levels of sleep apnea and how you can differentiate them.
What Are The Three Types Of Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The most common form that occurs. This is when your throat muscles relax for up to 10 seconds, causing you to stop breathing.
Central Sleep Apnea
This happens when your brain doesn’t tell your body that it needs to breathe.
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome
This is also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, which occurs when your throat relaxes AND your brain doesn’t communicate to the muscles that allow you to breathe.
The Difference Between Apnea and Hypopnea
Hypopnea is similar to apnea, but less severe. Apnea is when there is no oxygen entering your body, due to the relaxation of the muscles in your throat, nose, and mouth. When those muscles relax, they block the airways for 10 seconds or fewer. You’ll wake up to breathe and start the cycle over.
Hypopnea is when your breathing is too shallow or too slow. With hypopnea, there isn’t enough oxygen being supplied to your lungs. As a result of apnea and hypopnea, carbon dioxide levels in the blood increase and oxygen levels decrease. In both cases, there isn’t enough oxygen going to the brain, which alerts the body to wake up. Because breathing is, you know, important.
How Severe Is My Apnea?
Sleep apnea can range from mild to severe cases, depending on the number of sleep events per hour. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is a scale to measure the seriousness of your sleep apnea. If you haven’t taken a sleep study (your physician or a sleep specialist can refer you to a sleep center), then you may not be aware of what your AHI number is.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Normal sleep apnea: fewer than 5 events per hour
- Mild sleep apnea: 5-14 events per hour
- Moderate sleep apnea: 15-29 events per hour
- Severe sleep apnea: 30 or more events per hour
If you have a moderate or severe AHI score, you may be prescribed a CPAP machine to prevent sleep apnea events while you sleep. Another recommendation that your doctor may suggest is lifestyle changes, like losing weight, exercising, quitting smoking, and sleeping on your side or stomach. Make sure to see your doctor if you think you have any form or type of sleep apnea.
Catching sleep apnea ASAP, no matter the type, can help ease your symptoms--and help prevent heart problems or other complications down the road.
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