Otolaryngology >>>> Apnea syndrome

Apnea syndrome.

The medical term "apnea" is translated from Greek as "lack of breathing." This is the meaning of apnea syndrome - in the sudden stop of breathing. Usually apnea is observed during sleep, and therefore causes concern, since in a dream a person cannot control his condition and prevent apnea.

Stopping breathing during sleep, as a rule, is of a periodic, rather often repetitive nature, and each time during such a cessation of breathing, the body does not receive oxygen, and this leads to oxygen starvation of tissues, and, which is especially dangerous, to oxygen starvation of the brain. The course of redox reactions in tissues is disrupted, which means that in the end the entire metabolic process is threatened. And if we consider that such respiratory arrests during sleep can occur up to six hundred times, and muscle tissues (including the heart muscle, vascular smooth muscles) do not receive enough oxygen, which they need for proper functioning, it is not surprising that the result of apnea will be the development diseases such as angina pectoris, arrhythmia, heart attack, stroke.

Our body has a number of protective functions that turn on when breathing stops and cause awakening of the brain, which controls the breathing process, and, therefore, periodically disrupt the sleep process. And the result of such violations is poor health: lethargy, weakness, drowsiness, lethargy, memory impairment. Sleep deprivation becomes chronic. In addition, it happens that in some people, apnea causes respiratory arrest of such duration, which is enough to die.

The causes of apnea lie in the breathing mechanism, which is altered due to a violation of the tone of the pharyngeal muscles or a narrowing of its lumen. When, against the background of general muscle relaxation during sleep, the tone of the pharyngeal muscles decreases, then its lumen opens and allows the sleeping person to breathe freely.

There are a number of factors that make it difficult for air to enter the lungs during sleep:

Decreased tissue turgor due to age-related changes or organic disorders of tissue structure (the walls of the pharynx sag and fall, closing the passage),
Excessive sizes of tonsils (with tonsillitis ), palatine uvula or soft palate, blocking the space necessary for the passage of air masses,
Obesity, as a result of which excess adipose tissue accumulates on the walls of the pharynx, narrowing its lumen,
Curvature of the nasal septum, adenoids, deformities of the size of the lower jaw also contribute to the overall pathological picture of breathing disorders.

Apnea syndrome is often accompanied by another pathological process - snoring. This form of sleep apnea disorder is called obstructive sleep apnea. If breath holdings are associated with organic disorders in the area of the respiratory center (the area of the brain responsible for the depth of breathing and its frequency), then in this case they speak of central apnea syndrome.

Apnea can be diagnosed at home, with the help of relatives who need to monitor the state of the sleeping person. But the severity of a disease such as sleep apnea must be determined in a clinic using special equipment that controls the frequency and duration of breath holding.

Apnea treatment is complex and includes:

Correction of the position of a person's body during sleep (raise the head of the bed by 10-15 centimeters or put an additional pillow under the head),
Special intraoral devices are used to keep the pharynx open,
CPAP therapy is performed using an apparatus that supplies air to the respiratory tract during sleep,
Tonsillectomy is performed, excision of part of the soft palate or uvula, if necessary,
Reduce excess body weight, carry out hormonal therapy in order to correct weight,
Restore, if necessary, nasal breathing with nasal sprays and drops, or remove, if necessary, adenoids,
Correct the curvature of the nasal septum,
Do gymnastics to tone the muscles of the tongue and throat.

With apnea syndrome, it is necessary to fight so as not to cause premature cardiovascular disorders and accidental fatal respiratory arrest. Breathing disorders during sleep are dealt with by doctors - somnologists.