Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep Apnea & Snore Guards

The causes of sleep apnea vary based on the type of condition you’re experiencing.

For obstructive sleep apnea, the causes include:

• Excess weight: Fat deposits around the upper airway may obstruct proper breathing.
• Neck circumference: People with thicker necks might have narrower airways, leading to OSA.
• Age: Sleep apnea occurs significantly more often in older adults.
• Gender: Men are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.
• Family history: A family history of sleep apnea might increase your predisposition.
• Use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers: All these substances relax the muscles in your throat.
• Smoking: Smokers are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than are people who’ve never smoked.
• Nasal congestion: If you experience difficulty breathing through your nose — whether it’s from an anatomical problem or allergies — you’re more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea.

For central sleep apnea, the causes can include:

• Heart disorders: A history of congestive heart failure increases your predisposition.
• Opioid use: Medications such as morphine, codeine, or oxycodone increase the risk of central sleep apnea.
• Stroke: Having had a stroke increases your risk of central sleep apnea or treatment-emergent central sleep apnea.

The symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Loud snoring: The first sign of sleep apnea. It is typically recognized by another person who witnesses the patient while sleeping.
• Episodes of stopped breathing: These episodes occur when you’re sleeping and are often reported by another person who observes your sleep.
• Gasping for air during sleep: When you abruptly wake up gasping or choking.
• Waking up with a dry mouth: Sleep apnea often causes chronic dry mouth and throat due to breathing through the mouth.
• Morning headache: Waking up with a headache is a common symptom of sleep apnea due to the frequent awakenings and disrupted sleep.
• Insomnia: Many people with sleep apnea struggle with disrupted sleep patterns.
• Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia): The result of frequent sleep interruptions, leading to poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue.
• Difficulty concentrating: Lack of quality sleep can result in problems with attention and concentration during the day.
• Irritability: Poor quality sleep causes mood changes, including irritability and even depression.
• Decreased libido: Patients with sleep apnea may experience a decrease in sexual desire or activity.

The potential long-term effects of sleep apnea include:

• Poor cardiovascular health: Sleep apnea causes sudden drops in blood oxygen levels, putting a strain on the cardiovascular system and increasing the risk of heart disease.
• Hypertension: Each time you wake up during the night, your hormone systems go into overdrive, resulting in higher blood pressure levels and, over time, hypertension.
• Type 2 diabetes: Sleep apnea increases the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
• Stroke: Patients with untreated sleep apnea have a higher risk of stroke.
• Asthma: Emerging research suggests a possible link between sleep apnea and the worsening of asthma symptoms.
• Acid reflux or GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease): While the relationship between sleep apnea and GERD isn’t completely understood, many patients report a reduction in acid reflux symptoms once sleep apnea is treated.
• Cognitive and mental health issues: Sleep apnea impacts mental function, leading to memory, mood, concentration, and cognitive function issues. It also contributes to feelings of depression.
• Liver problems: Sleep apnea increases the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver.

Yes, sleep apnea can be life-threatening if left untreated.

Over time, the strain caused by sleep apnea on your cardiovascular system can contribute to a number of serious health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. These conditions can significantly impact your quality of life and, in severe cases, can be life-threatening.

Additionally, the condition often leads to excessive daytime sleepiness, which can increase the risk of accidents and injuries. People with sleep apnea are at higher risk of being involved in car accidents due to drowsy driving.

Moreover, the lack of restful sleep can also lead to mood disorders like depression and anxiety, and can impair cognitive function, memory, and concentration.

Yes, sleep apnea is indeed a common sleep disorder. It affects millions of people worldwide, although many people may not even know they have it.

It’s estimated that between 2% and 9% of adults are affected by obstructive sleep apnea, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

However, the actual number could be higher because sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed. People may not recognize the symptoms, especially if they live alone. Also, because the main symptoms occur during sleep, many people might not be aware that they have a problem at all.

Sleep apnea can affect people of all ages, including children. It’s more common in men than in women, and the risk increases with age.

Your healthcare provider will first ask questions about your sleep habits and overall health. They’ll likely inquire about any family history of sleep apnea and any other health conditions you may have, like hypertension, that can be associated with sleep apnea.

After this initial assessment, your healthcare provider may recommend you to a sleep disorder center, where a sleep specialist can conduct a more detailed evaluation. This often involves an overnight sleep study, also called a polysomnogram.

During this study, you will be hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart, lung, and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep. This data is used to help determine whether or not you have sleep apnea and, if so, how severe it is.

In some cases, a home sleep test might be an option. These tests involve measuring your heart rate, blood oxygen level, airflow, and breathing patterns.

You might need further testing if the results are inconclusive. This can include an evaluation of daytime sleepiness, mental alertness, and overall quality of life, or a visit to an ENT specialist to rule out any anatomical blockages.

Yes, sleep apnea can affect your pregnancy. 

The changes in hormone levels and physical changes occurring during pregnancy can increase the risk of developing sleep apnea. This is especially true during the third trimester. Research shows that sleep apnea affects up to 26% of pregnant women, though it often goes undiagnosed.

Sleep apnea during pregnancy is a concern not just for the mother, but for the baby as well.

For the mother, sleep apnea increases the risk of developing pregnancy complications such as:

• Gestational diabetes
• Pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy that can cause damage to organs such as the liver and kidneys)
• Eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy that can cause life-threatening seizures)

For the baby, maternal sleep apnea can increase the risk of: 

• Preterm birth
• Low birth weight
• Intrauterine growth restriction (poor growth of a baby while in the mother’s womb during pregnancy)
  
• The need for neonatal intensive care

Yes, there is a possible connection between sleep apnea and tongue biting.

During a sleep apnea episode, the tongue can fall backward due to muscle relaxation, causing a temporary blockage of the airway. As you struggle for breath, the jaw might reflexively clench to reopen the airway. Therefore, you may inadvertently bite your tongue if it stands between your teeth.

Yes, sleep apnea can potentially lead to jaw pain. 

The relationship between sleep apnea and jaw pain is often related to a condition called temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). The temporomandibular joint is a hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull. It lets you move your jaw up and down and side to side, so you can talk, chew, and yawn.

Sleep apnea and TMJ disorders share some common risk factors and symptoms, and one can exacerbate the other. For example, during episodes of obstructive sleep apnea, you might clench your jaw and grind your teeth (bruxism) as you struggle to unblock the airway. This repeated clenching and grinding places stress on the temporomandibular joint, resulting in pain and discomfort, along with other TMJ symptoms like headaches and difficulty chewing.

Conversely, TMJ disorders can contribute to sleep apnea. A patient with a TMJ disorder might have misaligned jaw bones or issues with the muscles and tendons around the jaw. These problems can restrict the airway, making episodes of obstructive sleep apnea more likely.