Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Preventing Heart Attacks And Strokes

Researchers in Brazil have found that treating patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) dramatically reduces early indications of atherosclerosis in just months, linking OSA directly to the hardening or narrowing of the arteries. Until now, no study has demonstrated such a direct relationship between the two.

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Patients who have obstructive sleep apnea had more than two and half times risk of developing heart attack compared to people who do not have apnea. The more severe the sleep apnea, the greater the risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

In obstructive sleep apnea, upper airway narrows or collapses during sleep. Apnea ends with partial arousal that may disrupt sleep hundreds of times a night. Many patients are unaware of their snoring and disturbing sleep during night.

During sleep, your heart and blood pressure drop. This allows your heart to rest. Snoring, pauses in breathing and gasping or choking for air prevent you from getting deep sleep your body needs. This can result in hypertension.

When your blood pressure is high, your heart works hard. When heart works hard, it can lead to stroke or heart attack. People untreated with sleep apnea have hypertension.

If you do not take treatment for sleep apnea, your heart has to pump harder to cope with the lack of oxygen caused by repeated pauses in breathing and therefore it starts to wear out.

The factors that can lead to obstructive sleep apnea are obesity, neck circumference and sometimes genetic factors.

CPAP to cure sleep apnea:

The device called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is used mainly for the treatment of sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when upper airway becomes narrow as the muscles relax during sleep.

This reduces oxygen in the blood and causes to wake up from sleep. The CPAP machine stops this by delivering air through a hose to a nasal mask so that unobstructed breathing becomes possible thereby reducing sleep apnea.

The pressure of the air that is blown is determined by the physician. He asks to stay overnight for polysomnogram test at sleep laboratory to monitor your sleep. There, he will give CPAP treatment and determines the required pressure.

CPAP has become most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. By taking CPAP treatment, you can prevent sleep apnea and thereby avoid heart attacks and strokes.

Apart from treatment with CPAP, you have to make lifestyle changes such as losing weight, avoiding caffeine an alcoholic beverages and sticking to regular sleep schedule for reducing the risk of sleep apnea.