Sleep apnoea is a recently named condition. Infact, the term was originally coined in the 1970s. It’s a well known fact that there is currently an epidemic of sleep disorders worldwide. In 2010, an estimated 1.5million (8.9%) of Australians had a sleep disorder. Of this, more than half had obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
Whilst snoring is the sound of muscle vibration as air passes through a narrower airway, sleep apnoea is quite different.
Sleep apnoea is when the sleep-induced loss of muscle tone results in airway collapse. With no air passing through, hypoxia (low oxygen) develops and the body mounts a stress response to provoke an arousal from your sleep. This arousal may be a conscious arousal, where you wake up gasping for breath and in a state of panic. It may also be a subconscious arousal where you wake up to a lighter stage of sleep rather than awakening completely.
Once aroused, the airway’s muscle tone is restore and normal airflow resumes.
However you are still asleep, and so the cycle continues. Your sleep is fragmented and while you think you are getting enough sleep, it is of poor quality.
Some of the signs and symptoms include:
- waking up tired
- poor concentration during the day
- daytime tiredness
- brain fog, headaches and migraines
- depression, anxiety
- wake up in the middle of the night choking/gasping for breath
- insomnia
- struggling to fall asleep after waking up in the middle of the night
The repeated intermittent hypoxias result in a continuous stress response. Because this is a chronic condition, your body is mounting a stress response all night, every night, all year round.
Chronic stress is not good for your health. It increases sympathetic drive and the heightened adrenaline concentrations in your system constrict many of the 150,000km of tubing in your body.
Things don’t flow well, the body becomes out of balance and gradual multi-system failure ensues.
The negative effects of snoring and sleep apnoea on our health can be found here.
There is one other important point I’d like to make: we’ve fallen into the trap of believing that sleep apnoea, in the majority of sufferers, is weight related. And that weight loss will resolve the issue. Why is it then that so many young, fit females with no snoring are exhibiting these symptoms?
The answer lies here.
