Sleep disorders can be caused by breathing-related issues, including obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, central sleep apnea syndrome, and central alveolar hypoventilation syndrome. These disorders can cause excessive sleepiness during the day and difficulty sleeping at night. Treatment options include weight loss, medication, therapy, or surgery, with CPAP therapy being a commonly used option.
Individuals who suffer from sleep disorders may have one of several breathing-related sleep disorders. Three types of disorders that are characterized by abnormal breathing during sleep are obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, central sleep apnea syndrome, and central alveolar hypoventilation syndrome. When someone has one of the sleep apnea syndromes, they usually have blocked airways, which affects breathing. An individual who has central alveolar hypoventilation syndrome struggles with shallow breathing, which reduces oxygen in the blood. People who have either of these disorders typically struggle with excessive sleepiness during the day and difficulty sleeping at night.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is the most common of the breathing-related sleep disorders. It is characterized by a blockage of the airways, resulting in loud snoring, gasps and pauses in breathing that can last from 10 to 60 seconds. This sleep disorder is more common in people who are overweight or have enlarged tonsils or adenoids, which are the glands located between the nose and throat. Individuals who have this syndrome alternate periods of deep and light sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is more common in middle-aged men who are overweight.
Individuals who have central sleep apnea experience cessation of breathing for brief periods during sleep. Their brain fails to send signals to the muscles that control breathing during these times. The reduced breathing deprives them of needed oxygen while increasing the amount of harmful carbon dioxide in the blood. Those who have this sleep disorder do not have airway obstruction and may experience only mild snoring. This syndrome is more common in the elderly and can be caused by heart or neurological conditions that affect breathing.
Central alveolar hypoventilation syndrome is another breathing-related sleep disorder. Shallow breathing differentiates it from other sleep disorders. When an individual does not breathe deeply enough, the lungs are limited in their ability to deliver sufficient amounts of oxygen to the blood. The symptoms of this sleep disorder are excessive sleepiness during the day and insomnia at night. This syndrome is more common among severely overweight individuals.
An otolaryngologist, a doctor who specializes in ear, nose, and throat disorders, typically diagnoses and treats breathing-related sleep disorders. Individuals who have a sleep disorder might be evaluated at a sleep clinic, which uses a polysomnogram, or sleep study, to evaluate various activities associated with sleep. Sleep studies typically involve evaluating the heart rates, brain waves, oxygen levels, and breathing patterns of people who have sleep disorders. Treatment for breathing-related sleep disorders may include weight loss, medication, therapy, or surgery. One commonly used therapy is known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which has been in use since 1981 and provides a constant flow of air through a mask worn while you sleep.
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