Do you feel irritated throughout your day and are unable to breathe well at night? Chances are you may be suffering from one of the various sleep-related issues known as sleep-disordered breathing.
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a broad range of sleep-related conditions involving a multitude of breathing issues that can develop during sleeping.
Mostly related to your upper airway passages getting blocked due to various reasons, SDB significantly affects the quality of life as one is unable to get nighttime rest.
Many factors contribute to SDB and are hence diagnosed accordingly. Catching it earlier on can drastically help improve one’s quality of life.
What Are The Different Types Of Sleep-Disordered Breathing?
As mentioned above, SDB is a spectrum of different sleeping conditions.
It can occur in any of the following forms:
- Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (URAS), as the name suggests, is a condition that exists when the soft tissues of the throat relax. This blocks the upper airway path which then doesn’t allow proper airflow to pass through.
- Apnea is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing. It is usually classified into 3 parts. Apnea occurs when a person experience pauses in their breathing while sleeping causing them to wake up for gasps of air.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OAS), a subtype of Apnea, is similar to URAS but differs in severity. The soft tissues at the back of the throat fall, due to the expansion of muscles in the neck and throat thus reducing the airflow. OAS can last up to 10 seconds.
- Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) involves the inability of your brain to send proper messages to the muscles that control breathing. As a result, your breathing stops and starts again time after time. While your body tries to breathe during OSA, however, your body completely lacks the drive to breathe in this condition. CSA is an involuntary function of our body and is quite uncommon among the population.
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- Hypopnea is caused due to your body taking in shallow breaths for longer than 10 seconds. It does not block the airway completely, but only partially. This results in your airway being 30% lesser than your normal breathing. This, unlike Apnea, does not reduce the efforts to breathe. Apnea and hypopnea can occur together in a few people.
- Catathrenia or nighttime groaning is a state where a person groans or moans while exhaling while sleeping. They are repetitive and occur nightly. Catathrenia can last up to 2 -49 seconds. These loud groans can be quite irritating to your sleeping partner. Researchers have identified that these groans generally occur during the REM sleep cycle, and can also occur during the non-REM sleep cycle. Catathrenia is a rare condition occurring only in 0. 17% and 0.4% of people who suffer from sleep-related disorders.
- Loud snoring
What Are The Symptoms Of Sleep-Disordered Breathing?
Adequate symptom assessment is important to help doctors identify the right treatment for your ailment.
SDB can be classified into two categories.
- Daytime symptoms
- Nighttime symptoms
Poor sleep quality can result in such daytime symptoms:
- Irritability
- Hypersomnia (excessive drowsiness)
- Cognitive impairments like attention and memory retention problems
- Remaining gloomy all-day
- Unable to work all-day
Nighttime symptoms can include the following:
- Wake up for sudden gasps of breath.
- Moaning or groaning.
- Insomnia (difficulty in staying asleep).
- Loss of interest in sex.
- Experiencing sore throat, headache, dry mouth.
- Your partner might report that there are instances where you are unable to breathe along with heavy snoring.
How Is Sleep-Disordered Breathing Diagnosed?
Diagnostic criteria depend upon numerous factors and vary from person to person. Each individual is diagnosed according to their relative symptoms and the pattern of their occurrence.
Depending upon your condition, a sleep specialist will either run a nocturnal polysomnography test or simply will provide you with a simple home-based test kit.
You may also be further referred to an ear, nose, throat(ENT )doctor, heart doctor (cardiologist), or a neurologist for physical examinations.
Your doctors might prescribe a polysomnography test after your home testing, even though your prior results are normal. This is done because the results of home-based test kits aren’t deemed accurate.
Furthermore, Medical histories are also taken into account to understand the cause of SDB. Several other tests are also taken to identify whether these symptoms aren’t a result of other possible illnesses.
Are Sleep Apnea And Sleep-Disordered Breathing The Same Thing?
Sleep-disordered breathing is a wide spectrum of conditions that disrupt your desired sleep. Sleep apnea is one of its types. SDB is a term coined to refer to all sleep-related issues that include breathing difficulties.
Usually, when we talk of sleep-related breathing disorders, it is assumed as Apnea. This is not entirely the case as SDB not only refers to Apnea but also to other issues such as Catathrenia, Hypopnea etc.
What Is The Treatment For Sleep-Disordered Breathing?
While some individuals think SDB in sleep can be treated using home remedies, the case however is quite different. Yes, bringing changes into lifestyles like reducing your consumption of alcohol, weight loss for obesity, quitting smoking, and maintaining positive postures during sleeping can help you to reduce the symptoms, medical intervention is still required to make sure the conditions don’t worsen.
Typical treatment of SDB in sleep depends upon your particular symptoms, your health and other medical conditions.
There are three proven treatments for sleep-disordered breathing:
Machines
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) are machines used to alleviate SDB in sleep. These are therapeutic masks that allow constant airflow while you sleep. The air pressure from these is almost higher than your surroundings but is useful in opening airflows.
Some individuals find the strap of the masks uncomfortable. However, this doesn’t mean you stop using the masks. Over time, with continuous usage one can get used to the tightness of the mask. Ask your doctor to see what amendments can be made to help increase your ease.
If CPAP isn’t working for you, and the air pressure keeps being a problem for you, your doctor may put you on BiPAP. It automatically adjusts the air pressure for you. BiPAP only differs from CPAP on the basis of air pressure. It provides extra air pressure when you inhale and less when exhaled.
Oral Appliances
CPAP and BiPAP might not work for some individuals due to various negligence. Oral appliances are a great substitute. They are quite effective and are convenient to be worn nightly.
They help to change your tongue and jaw positions and some even help you to keep your throat open to prevent the upper airway passage from contracting. Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs) and Mandibular Repositioning Devices (MRDs) are examples of such oral applications.
Surgery
When all other options have failed, a variety of surgeries are suggested. Some of these are:
- Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UP3 (UPPP) – Paired generally with tonsillectomy, used to remove excess tissues in the throat.
- Inspire hypoglossal nerve stimulation – Used to treat backward collapse of the tongue during sleeping.
- Jaw Reposition – The jaws are moved forward from the rest of the facial bones to allow extra space behind the tongue.
- Lingual tonsillectomy – This treatment may be a possibility for those with severe OSA, especially if they have a blockage near the root of the tongue. The lingual tonsils, as well as a portion of the tongue, are removed.
- Tongue reduction surgery – This is a less invasive treatment where excess tissues are removed from the base of the tongue to enhance airflow.
Final Thought
Sleep-disordered breathing is a common group of issues. They have a significant impact on your day-to-day activities but are easy to treat. However, SDB shouldn’t be left untreated. It can lead to numerous health issues like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and even death. Hence, it is advised to not neglect your signs and seek medical help as soon as possible.
