Sleep Apnea

Ann Lima, MDBy Ann Lima, MD

 

  • Do you snore loudly?
  • Do you often feel tired, fatigued or sleepy during the day?
  • Has anyone observed you stop breathing during sleep?
  • Do you have, or are being treated for, high blood pressure?
  • Is your body mass index (BMI) >35? https://www.calculator.net/bmi-calculator.html
  • Are you over 50 years old?
  • Is your neck more than 40 cm or 16 inches around?
  • Are you a man?

If you answered yes to 3 or more of these questions, then you are at high risk for sleep apnea and should consider testing.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder that occurs when the soft tissues of the upper airway (like tongue) narrow and block the airway and can cause low oxygen levels while sleeping.

Central sleep apnea, on the other hand, is when there are medications or other chronic medical problems that prevent one from breathing correctly while sleeping. Consequences of untreated sleep apnea include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart failure, heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms, and daytime sleepiness. It can cause difficulty with memory, attention, mood, sexual function and processing of information, and contributes to work-place errors, traffic accidents and early death.

You can check for sleep apnea with an at-home sleep apnea test and get going with treatment if positive. However, a negative home sleep test doesn’t mean you do not have sleep apnea. Many types of sleep apnea will not be picked up on a home test, and you may need a test at a sleep lab to get the diagnosis. Doing an in-lab test also benefits patients by potentially splitting the night between testing and treatment so patients can leave in the morning knowing what treatment works for them. There is a convenient and comfortable sleep lab in Orofino located at Clearwater Valley Hospital.

If you have signs of sleep apnea, reach out to your healthcare provider to get you set up for testing. Treating this common medical condition can change, and save, your life!