— Very Tired Indeed

Your sleep disorder is both common and cruel. An estimated 20 million Americans — mostly overweight men — experience collapsing mouth and throat muscles that block the intake of air during sleep. Despite these numbers, sleep apnea is frequently not treated directly because its symptoms are thought to be those of depression, stress, or plain old loud snoring.

One of the primary tip-offs to sleep apnea's presence is a very pronounced snore — more like a loud and sudden snort. This "gasp for air" is literally a lifesaver when the mouth and throat muscles tense up to allow air back into the body. Most sleepers are unaware of this occurrence, although it often shakes their bed partners, roommates, and even neighbors to the core. When people with sleep apnea fall back asleep, relaxing muscles once again cause airway blockage. As you noted, this vicious cycle is repeated over and over again each night.

This roller coaster sleep pattern leads to a loss of energy, concentration, and productivity, and an inability to stay awake during less active tasks, such as reading, watching television, and driving. In serious cases, the continuous oxygen deprivation caused by sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and even sudden death. There may be a genetic component to this disorder as it often occurs within families.

What can be done to better manage or cure sleep apnea? In less severe cases, weight loss and a reduction in alcohol and other sedative use before bedtime has been a successful remedy. Sleep experts also recommend that people with sleep apnea should not sleep on their backs; sometimes sewing a tennis ball into the back of a nightshirt can prevent this from occurring. In more serious cases similar to yours, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines blow air through a mask into the body during sleep. Although this treatment has also helped many people, some cannot tolerate this method, and may benefit from oral devices that change the position of mouth structures during sleep.

Surgery is a further option. Some surgical procedures reconstruct the nasal passages or remove tissue from the back of the throat to create a larger airway. Other procedures move the bones or tissues in the mouth forward, again opening the airway. In most cases, more than one surgical procedure is needed to ensure complete success. People who have sleep apnea may need to try several different strategies and/or possibly surgeries before they find one that solves their problem.

Seeking treatment for sleep apnea usually involves visiting a sleep lab where heart, blood oxygen levels, and other vital signs are monitored by professionals. For more information on sleep apnea and resources for help, you can contact the National Sleep Foundation and the American Sleep Apnea Association.

It is good to hear your acknowledgment of improvement with the aid of CPAP, and your discomfort and fears are certainly understandable. Discussing both new treatment options and perhaps surgery, or even your feelings related to CPAP, are all part of the ongoing relationship with your health care provider.

Alice

Related Q&As

Stop snoring!

Freaking out about getting tonsils and adenoid removed