Sleep apnea

The so-called sleep apnea syndrome (SAS or OSAS for short) is caused by periodic breathing disorders during sleep. Sleep apnea, even a mild form, significantly increases the risk of death from secondary diseases. In the specialist literature, it is assumed that there is a high all-cause mortality.¹

What causes the symptoms of sleep apnea?

The brief cessations of breathing of up to three minutes, also known as apneas in technical terminology, lead to repeated awakening reactions in the body. Due to the apneas, the oxygen content decreases while the carbon dioxide content of the blood increases. This triggers an alarm response from the body to prevent a further drop in oxygen levels. Thus, sufferers are regularly disturbed in their sleep by the lack of oxygen and the wake-up reactions it causes. Nighttime sleep thus hardly fulfills its function of providing the body with rest.

Sleep apnea occurs when breathing stops at least 10 times per hour for more than 10 seconds. A characteristic feature of sleep apnea is that sufferers usually do not wake up consciously. Only the pulse rate is increased, along with other bodily functions. This makes it particularly difficult for sufferers to identify sleep apnea as the cause of their pronounced daytime sleepiness. Many people thus suffer from the symptoms over a long period of time, although a lack of restful sleep can significantly reduce the quality of life of those affected. Thus, not only daytime sleepiness and microsleep, but also depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack)²can result from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea syndrome is treatable and the obstructive form is even curable. Get a first impression of what is possible thanks to state-of-the-art surgery and how we have already helped many sufferers by reading many helpful patient testimonials.

Sleep apnea - different types and causes

There are two forms of sleep apnea. The most common form of sleep apnea syndrome is the so-called obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS). This form is always anatomical and is caused by too narrow airways. Causes can include, for example, a constitutional slackening of the throat muscles or enlarged pharyngeal tonsils. The latter risk factor plays a major role, especially in children.

However, the most common cause of obstructive sleep apnea is the recession of one or both jaws. A recessed and too small upper jaw causes a narrowing through the soft palate. A recessed and too small lower jaw constricts the lower portion of the upper airway through the tongue. The combination of the narrowed airway and the pharyngeal muscles, which relax anyway during sleep, can cause complete obstruction of the airway. Thus, the lungs must create extra negative pressure to ensure that the body continues to receive oxygen. The second, far less common form of sleep apnea is the so-called central sleep apnea syndrome. As the name suggests, it is caused by a malfunction of the central nervous system. The brain literally forgets to breathe. This causes the breathing stops typical of sleep apnea with resulting alarm reactions of the body. If both forms of sleep apnea occur together, it is called mixed sleep apnea.

Sources:
1. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.3600
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28209226/