Whether you realize it or not, if you have mild sleep apnea your sleep is being interrupted constantly throughout the night. That often results in feeling sleepy during the day. This feeling of sleepiness can also seem like a lack of energy or general drowsiness.
Mild sleep apnea is 5 to 15 on the AHI scale. (This means that you experience 5 to 15 periods of stopped or shallow breathing every hour that you're trying to sleep.) The AASM lists common symptoms as “involuntary sleepiness during activities that require little attention, such as watching TV or reading.”
Does sleep apnea go away? The answer is no, although it is a common question among people with a sleep apnea diagnosis. While there is no cure for this chronic condition, there are treatments and lifestyle changes that can reduce your sleep apnea symptoms.
Basically, the higher the AHI, the more severe the sleep apnea. Most population studies suggest that about 60% of people with OSA fall into the mild category.
Degrees of severity of sleep apnoea
The severity of sleep apnoea depends on how often your breathing is interrupted. As a guide: normal sleep – fewer than 5 interruptions per hour. mild sleep apnoea – between 5 and 15 interruptions per hour.
You might make a snorting, choking or gasping sound. This pattern can repeat itself five to 30 times or more each hour, all night long. These disruptions impair your ability to reach the deep, restful phases of sleep, and you'll probably feel sleepy during your waking hours.
Based on the present findings, sleep apnea can be understood as a progressive disease, and many of the mild patients develop more severe disease in 5 years.
Sleep Apnea FAQs
The life expectancy of a patient with sleep apnea who is under 50 years old is between 8 and 18 years. If patients receive the treatment they are likely to live longer, with fewer excess health complications than those who do not receive treatment.
“Side sleeping with your back mostly straight is the best sleep position as it reduces apnea severity and snoring,” Dr. Knobbe said. It can also help keep your spine in proper alignment, although it can put additional strain on your shoulders, hips and spine.
Another common sign of sleep apnea is frequent sleepiness especially during the day. Patients with sleep apnea often report falling asleep during quiet and inactive times of day.
So, does having sleep apnea cause you to gain weight? For many, the answer is yes! The relationship between sleep apnea and weight gain is a vicious cycle – gaining weight can contribute to sleep apnea development, and having sleep apnea can cause you to gain weight.
People who have sleep apnea stop breathing for 10 to 30 seconds at a time while they are sleeping. These short stops in breathing can happen up to 400 times every night.
Does exercise help sleep apnea too? Fortunately yes, it does! Getting up and moving your body not only helps you look good and feel good, but regular, moderate exercise can support weight loss which may help treat or even prevent your sleep apnea symptoms.
Yes, sleeping with your head elevated can help sleep apnea as it stops gravity from causing your tongue and soft tissue to fall back and block your airways. You can elevate your head with a wedge-shaped pillow or an adjustable base bed.
The first choice of treatment for OSA is positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, usually with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. In addition to CPAP machines, other sleep apnea devices include BiPAP machines, AutoPAP machines, positional therapy, oral appliances, and implant systems.
Untreated mild apnea could cause apneic events, snoring, and grasping while you sleep, which can lead to long-term adverse health effects and problems with daytime sleepiness, both of which are life-altering.
Sleeping on your back often worsens apnea, while sleeping on your side may lesson episodes of apnea. When you are lying on your back, your tongue and soft palate tend to fall back to the throat, which can increase breathing difficulties.
Q: Can weight loss cure sleep apnea? A: The short answer is no. While there are several sleep apnea treatment options available, there is no cure. However, weight loss may help reduce sleep apnea symptoms for some people, but only if you have obstructive sleep apnea.
The most common symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include: Loud snoring. Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which would be reported by another person. Gasping for air during sleep.
Though sleep talk occurs in healthy individuals, it can be also be associated with an illness such as sleep apnea, night terrors, chronic headache, and it is also sparked by factors like emotional stress and nightmares.
People who have sleep apnea can wake up 15 to 25 times an hour during sleep – without knowing it. The condition causes them to awaken for only a few seconds, but leaves the sufferer feeling exhausted, even after a full night's rest.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when a child stops breathing during sleep. The cessation of breathing usually occurs because there is a blockage (obstruction) in the airway. Obstructive sleep apnea affects many children and is most commonly found in children between 2 and 6 years of age, but can occur at any age.
Those with the sleep disorder can have increased insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and the body storing more fat, especially belly fat.