Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder in which a person temporarily stops breathing during sleep. It can happen perhaps hundreds of times throughout the course of the night. The gaps in the breathing are known as apneas. The word apnea means the absence of breath. An obstructive apnea episode is defined as the absence of airflow for at least 10 seconds. Sleep apnea is almost always associated with snoring, disturbed sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Usually, people with the condition do not know they have it. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the tissues in the upper airways come too close to each other temporarily blocking the flow of air. It is defined as five or more episodes of apnea or hypopnea per hour of sleep in adults who have

Central sleep apnea is not as common as OSA. It is caused by a problem in the central nervous system, most often a failure in the brain to signal the airway muscles to breathe. In cases, oxygen levels drop suddenly and usually the patient wakes with a start. Unlike those with obstructive sleep apnea, people with central apnea remember their awakenings. They experience less sleepiness in the daytime compared to people with obstructive sleep apnea. The causes of central sleep apnea include heart disease and heart failure. Mixed sleep apnea is when both central and obstructive happen at the same time. The third and last type of apnea is Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS). It is a condition where people snore, wake up frequently throughout the course of the night, and have excessive daytime sleepiness. Nevertheless, they do not have breathing abnormalities characterized with obstructive sleep apnea. They also do not display reduction in blood oxygen levels. Unlike apnea, upper airway resistance syndrome is more common in women than men. But it is treated the same way as those of sleep

Hypoxia refers to the absence of oxygen supply. Using neuro-imaging, research disclosed proof of hippocampal atrophy in people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. It is found that more than 25% of obstructive sleep apnea cases, this issue results in irreparable problems in mentally manipulating non-verbal information as well as in executive functions and working memory regardless of years spent during continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. Hippocampal atrophy is a form of brain damage that impacts or affects both memory and special navigation. It is often associated with memory loss conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s