Creator: Dr. Anitha Paderla
Keywords: Obstructive Sleep Apnea, sleep disorders, CPAP, overweight adults, poor sleep

Written by Dr. Anitha Paderla, MBBS |

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Sunil Shroff, MBBS, MS, FRCS (UK), D. Urol (Lond) on Feb 07, 2020

Conclusion

Obstructive sleep apnea is a health hazard and usually affects middle-aged, overweight adults. It causes not only snoring but also repeated obstruction to breathing while the person is sleeping. This leads to a drop in oxygen saturation within the blood which can damage organs such as the heart and the brain.

The condition can be diagnosed by a visit to the sleep lab, which conducts a simple test called polysomnogram. Simple advice can treat patients with mild sleep apnea; however a more advanced condition may require to use an equipment like CPAP. Treatment improves a person’s overall health by improving the quality of sleep.

Regular and ongoing follow up is needed with a sleep medicine specialist who will check whether the treatment is working and whether there are any side effects of the treatment.

Published on Feb 08, 2013
Last Updated on Feb 07, 2020

Comments

sunny1 Tuesday, June 3, 2008

See this recent publication that indicates that obstructive Sleep Apnea - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesized that OSA is independently related to the risk of CAD or death from any cause. In this observational cohort study, patients referred for OSA underwent polysomnography, and subsequent CAD events (myocardial infarction, coronary angiography or bypass graft surgery) or death were recorded. Patients were divided into exposure (AHI 15) and comparison groups (AHI Increased Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Death, Shah NA et al New Haven, CT

Most Popular on Medindia

Daily Calorie Requirements

Blood - Sugar Chart

Vent Forte (Theophylline)

Sleep

Sleep is a behavioral state of restricted physical activity. It is controlled by our internal biological clock.

Insomnia Home Remedy

Home remedies offer you herbal and natural method to treat insomnia effectively.

Snoring

Turbulent airflow causes tissues of the nose and throat to vibrate and the noise produced by these vibrations is called snoring.

Relaxation Exercise

Know all about the Relaxation, the classic ancient system of India, and how it flourished under various civilizations

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Animation

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the tissue in the back of the throat collapses completely blocking the airway. Obstructive sleep apnea is treated using continuous positive airway pressure.

Insomnia

Difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep is known as insomnia. It is a symptom that occurs due to other disorders and can cause daytime sleepiness.

Sleep Disorder

Sleep disorders can either be having difficulty in getting sleep or dozing off at inappropriate time.

Top Ten Facts About Silent Killer Diseases

The threat to the health of the world in 21st century is from many diseases that do not manifest and potentially can kill a person.

Quiz on Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Do you feel sleepy all day despite sleeping normal hours? One of the possible reasons for this sleepiness could be obstructive sleep apnea. Test your knowledge on obstructive sleep apnea by taking this quiz. ...

Rapid Shallow Breathing Symptom Evaluation

Rapid shallow breathing / tachypnea is a condition wherein a person takes more breaths per minute than normal. Shallow breathing can be due to several conditions.

Sleeping Disorders

How many times have you stayed awake in the dead of the night counting sheep? If it is fairly often then you could be suffering from a sleep disorder!