A reader recently asked how she can wake her spouse in less than five minutes without screaming at him. My suggestion is that she scream, not at him to wake him, but about the fact that he is showing classic signs of a common sleep disorder called sleep apnea . Symptoms of this disorder include falling asleep during the day, frequent or loud snoring, difficulty in waking and not feeling refreshed after several hours of sleep.

Sleep apnea is a very common and often undiagnosed condition seniors and elder adults suffer, though it is found in all ages and equally in both males and females.

An apnea, as defined by the American Epilepsy Foundation, is a period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced. In simplified terms, an apnea occurs when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more. Apneas usually occur during sleep. When an apnea occurs, sleep is disrupted. Sometimes this means the person wakes up completely, but sometimes this can mean the person comes out of a deep level of sleep and into a more shallow level of sleep.

Common risk factors include family history, moderate obesity, smoking, obstructions in the airway and some others. In simple terms, persons with the condition (equally male and female) do not rest deeply or completely at night as they literally stop breathing as their airway closes off for brief moments. They may not wake completely, but they do arouse from the deeper sleep needed to refresh and recharge the body and never rest fully.

Not only is the snoring and gasping for breath annoying and alarming to a bed partner, but the constant waking, lack of complete rest and lower oxygen levels put a tremendous strain on the heart. Persons with this condition are much more likely to suffer cardiac problems. Further, those with serious conditions are at risk of going to sleep behind the wheel of a car, while operating machinery or even in the middle of that important meeting with the boss.

The condition is easily diagnosed and treated with consultation by your family physician and a trip to a sleep lab. Most treatment is accomplished by using a type of “breathing machine” mask worn at night. Called a CPAP or BiPap, it takes a few nights to get used to the mask and it is not sexy in the least. However, the benefits of a good night’s rest cannot be overemphasized.

You can check your Snore Score by clicking to see if you or a loved one may be at risk for this common but easily treated disorder. If you or someone close to you answers “yes” to any of the above questions, you should discuss your symptoms with your physician or a sleep specialist. Or ask the American Sleep Apnea Association for more information on the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea. Different treatment options exist; which is right for you depends upon the severity of your apnea and other aspects of the disorder. Talk to your doctor about choices. Untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can be extremely serious and cannot be ignored.

Trust me on this; once treated, you will find there is so much more to life when you don’t go through day after day tired, grumpy and half-asleep.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 12:40 am and is filed under Healthy Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.