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Did you know it? we spend 1/3 of our life to sleep: sleep is important!
Sleep ensures a repair function, respiratory and cardiovascular rest, cellular regeneration, nocturnal / daily hormonal secretion, learning and memorisation. It is a global process that balances the human body, physiologically and psychologically.
Among sleep disorders one easily find tons of information on sleep apnea, but is is often difficult to understand what it means. Our site, thanks to our experience, offers you a pragmatic approach to explain it all, simply. If anything lacks or is not clear, do not hesitate to tell us, we weill endeavour to improve our presentation.
Qu'est-ce que l'apnée du sommeil ?
C'est un phénomène plus fréquent qu'on l'imagine ; le dormeur arrête de respirer, plusieurs dizaines de fois par heure.
Ces arrêts respiratoires durent chacun plus de 10 secondes, et peuvent parfois dépasser une minute.
Responsables de miro-éveils (éveils très brefs, donc inconscients), les apnées sont cause de nombreux troubles. A long terme elles s'associent à d'autres maladies plus graves.
Les apnées peuvent aussi être à l'origine d'accidents de la route ou d'accidents du travail.
L'apnée du sommeil, c'est sérieux, il faut impérativement la traiter, rapidement.
Obstructive sleep apnea mechanism
Muscles from the tongue and soft palate usually maintain the upper airways open.
Muscles relax, the lumen decreases, soft tissues vibrate (hence the snore), repiratory work increases.
The airway totally collapse, breathing is blocked, that is apnea.
After a while the increase in carbon dioxyde in the blood trigers a signal to the brain to "wake" it. This resumes breathing, often very noisily.
Symptoms
There are several symptoms that allow patient or his/her partner to think of possible apneas. Some symptoms may look minor to you. However, their addition must alert you, they are tangible signs of a disease that may have severe consequences.
| During the day... | At night... | |
|---|---|---|
| Mind alteration | Snore | |
| Excessive somnolence | Respiratory arrests witnessed by others | |
| Lack of stamina | Frequent awakes, feeling out of breath | |
| Morning headheache | Repeated need to urinate | |
| Troubles in memory and concentration | Nocturnal sweats | |
| Sexual disfunction |
Are some patients more likely to have apnea?
Statistics prove it: more men than women have apneas, the older more than the younger, those overweighted more than others. However no one is exempt, sleep apnea concerns also women and children. Some pathologies are closely associated to sleep apnea, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, or stroke.
Comorbidities, or associated pathologies.
Sleep apnea also concerns those who suffer from associated pathologies :
| Miscellaneous... | related to the blood system... | |
|---|---|---|
| Obesity | Hypertension | |
| Type II diabetes | Cardiovascular diseases (arrhythmias, infarcts, heart failure) | |
| Mental troubles (anxiety, depression...) | Stroke | |
Asthma and respiratory insufficiency |
CPAP treatment allows to reduce some symtoms associated to these pathologies.
What to do in front of sleep apneas?
When in doubt, you should absolutely consult your physician and tell him your symptoms. He will probably send you towards a peumologist or a sleep specialist. Screening or diagnostic are very easy, with no pain at all nor drug to take, nor any risk. That may take place in a sleep laboratory, but that increasingly takes place at home.
If medical examination confirms you have sleep apnea and you should be treated, you will be directed through a home care provider who will take chacare of your home treatment: the swiss cantonal ligues for long have been those unique providers, fortunately Sleep & Health today offers an alternative of choice. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any question.
There is a very efficient treatment: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). A small device lays by your bed, it delivers pressurised room air via a mask. That pressure acts as a pneumatic spring to maintain your upper airways open and avoid apnea events.
That treatment is reliable, it implies no drug nor surgery. It allows people all over the world to sleep in total quietness and have a much healthier life. The benefit may be felt immediately - often as soon as the first night of use.