It is not surprising to see an average teenager fall asleep in class, but adults are just as susceptible to afternoonnaps or falling asleep at the wheel due to insufficient sleep.
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder thataffects more than 12 million adults nationwide, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Web site. People diagnosed with sleep apnea do not get enough sleep, often leading to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Sleep apnea causes the airways in one’s body to narrow. Consequently, snoring is the most common symptom of sleep apnea.
When oxygen levels within the body drop, the brain sends a signal and wakes the body, temporarily opening the airways. This can occur five to 30 times or more an hour.
While the majority of those who havesleep apnea are adults, children are also at risk of developing it. African Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders are more likely to develop sleep apnea than Caucasians, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Web site.
“[Sleep apnea] is very common,” Gary Barton, a sleep technician at Mount Nittany Medical Center, said.
Treating sleep apnea may involve using a continuous positive airway pressure machine,
which functions by pumping oxygen to a constant pressure into a patient's airway.
The medical center located in State College, Pa., maintains a sleep lab that takes in about four patients a night for evaluation.
Patients need a referral from their primary physician before seeking treatment. Barton said that the medical center can diagnose sleep apneain one night.
“Thetest involves an overnight stay with electric nodes connected to your heart, legs, arms and feet, and you are monitored all night. It shows your sleep pattern,” Donna Wilson, a victim of sleep apnea who obtained treatment at the Greater Washington Sleep Disorders Center, said.
Dr. Jose W. Ruiz, an assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said that the best method to treat sleep apnea is to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
The CPAP machine functions by continuouslypumping oxygen at constant pressure into the person’s airways via a hose and amask.
“It was hard to adjust in the beginning and felt like forced air in my nose and I hated the mask strapped to my face every night. I have to sleep on my back every night so that took some getting used to. I definitely sleep better and do not feel tired when I am awake,” Wilson said.
However, Ruiz said, “The problem is that only about 50percent of the people tolerate it. So even though it works really well, mostpeople don't use it.”
Surgery is another option, but the success rate of sleep apnea surgeries range from 50 percent to 70 percent while CPAP therapy has a success rate of more than 90 percent.
If left untreated, sleep apnea may lead to strokes or heart attacks over a period of time, Barton said.
Wilson said, “I am happy that I got the sleep study done and people should realize that you can die in your sleep if you are not getting the needed oxygen.”