World Sleep Day is celebrated on 21 March, and this year's theme is "Good Sleep healthy walks". Sleep disturbances are known to not only lead to poor sleep quality, daytime fatigue and drowsiness, but also to many diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and so on. The most common "behind-the-scenes black hand" that leads to sleep disorder is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which we often call snoring, that is, snoring, which is the most prominent manifestation of obstructive sleep apnea. "Spring sleep is not aware, how much do you know about snoring at night", and listened to the experts of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Peking Union Medical College Hospital to reveal one by one.
About the author: Luo Jinmei
He is the deputy chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, a member of the Sleep Breathing Disorders Group of the Respiratory Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and a member and secretary of the Sleep Group of the Respiratory Branch of the Chinese Equipment Society. Specialty: Diagnosis and treatment of common respiratory diseases and difficult diseases, especially sleep respiratory diseases and respiratory function evaluation.
About the author: Xiao Yi
Chief Physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Doctoral Supervisor. He is currently a member of the Standing Committee of the Respiratory Disease Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, the leader of the Sleep Breathing Disorders Group, the vice chairman of the Respiratory Diseases Branch of the Beijing Medical Association, the member of the Respiratory Disease Society of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the vice chairman of the Sleep Breathing Disorders Professional Committee, and the editorial board member of the Chinese Journal of Tuberculosis and Breathing. He has long been engaged in clinical and scientific research of respiratory diseases and sleep disorders.
Do snorers have sleep apnea?
Most patients with obstructive sleep apnea come to the doctor because of snoring, but not every snorer has sleep apnea.
Snoring is a very common phenomenon in sleep, and about 40% of adult men and 24% of adult women are habitual snorers, which many people think is "sleeping soundly". In fact, people who snore mildly do not feel anything, just feel tired in the morning and have bad energy. However, it is necessary to pay special attention to the fact that if the snoring at night is very loud and irregular, affecting the rest of the family, repeated breathing stops during sleep, suffocation or suffocation at night, poor sleep quality, still feeling tired or lack of energy after waking up, it is difficult to concentrate, and even uncontrollable drowsiness, which may be due to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea may also present with insomnia at night, increased nocturia, morning headache, dizziness, sore throat, memory loss, mood changes, and decreased sexual function.
Emphasis: Lying flat, drinking alcohol, sedative sleeping pills, colds, or allergic rhinitis can cause or worsen snoring.
What are the dangers of obstructive sleep apnea?
At present, it is generally believed that obstructive sleep apnea is a systemic chronic disease, which not only affects our quality of life, reduces work efficiency, but also is a risk factor for many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes, and at the same time is an important factor causing sudden death and road traffic accidents.
Who is susceptible to obstructive sleep apnea?
Overweight: Overweight or obese (BMI 30 or above)
Neck thickness: Neck circumference of 40 cm or more
Young
man
hypertension
Sedative drugs
Airway abnormalities: e.g., deviated nasal septum or nasal polyps
Maxillofacial abnormalities: small jaw, retraction of the lower jaw, etc
People with a family history of sleep apnea
How is obstructive sleep apnea diagnosed?
Polysomnography: The current standard method for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea is to spend the night in a sleep center, where the body connects various sensors to record brain waves, heartbeat, breathing, and movements to assess sleep and breathing during sleep. But this method often requires waiting in line for a bed, and often sleeps poorly due to bed changes.
Home sleep breath monitoring: You can bring a small monitoring instrument back to your home for monitoring and collecting data, and download the data the next day for analysis. This method is relatively simple, but because of the small amount of data collected, it sometimes underestimates the results or misdiagnoses, and is only suitable for a subset of patients.
Tip: Which device to use requires communication with your doctor before making a choice.
How is obstructive sleep apnea treated?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a severe sleep disorder that needs treatment. At present, there is still no clear and effective drug treatment, mainly relying on lifestyle changes, including smoking and alcohol cessation, sleep in the lateral position, weight loss, etc.
The treatment of choice for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is home noninvasive ventilator therapy, with a small number of people choosing oral orator or surgery.
If you or your family snoring, and the snoring is very loud, the snoring is irregular, or there is unexplained tiredness, poor energy and drowsiness during the day, you should pay attention to whether there is obstructive sleep apnea, timely medical treatment, so that the body can get the best rest, so as to improve health!