In short
Theobstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)They are repeated pauses in breathing while you sleep due to the closure of the airway. It is underdiagnosed and is associated withhypertension, stroke, heart attack, diabetes and accidentsdue to drowsiness. The good news: with a sleep study it is diagnosed well and the treatment (CPAP and other options) is very effective.
When breathing stops while sleeping
In obstructive apnoea, the tissues in the throat relax andblock the passage of airrepeatedly throughout the night. Each pause (apnea) or reduction in flow (hypopnea) lowers blood oxygen and causes a micro-awakening of which you are not aware, but whichfragment your sleepdozens or hundreds of times every night.
The result is a sleep that does not rest: the person snores intensely, makes pauses that are often noticed by the partner, wakes up with a feeling of suffocation or with a dry mouth, and dragsdaytime sleepiness. Over time, this repeated stress on the body takes its toll on the heart and metabolism.
It is very common — especially in men, people with overweight and in middle age — but it can affect anyone, including children. Above all, it is treatable.
Self-test: could you have apnoea?
Tick what happens to you — or what your bed partner has noticed. This is for guidance only.
Frequent signs
Select all the ones you recognize
Degrees of sleep apnoea
Severity is measured with the apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI): breathing pauses per hour of sleep. Explore each level:
mild apnoea
Between 5 and 15 breaks per hour. You can greatly improve with conservative measures: losing weight, avoiding sleeping on your back, not drinking alcohol at night, and, in selected cases, amandibular advancement device.
Moderate apnoea
Between 15 and 30 breaks per hour, with a clear impact on rest and health. It usually requires active treatment, usuallyCPAP, also assessing anatomical causes and weight.
severe apnoea
More than 30 breaks per hour. It is the one most associated with hypertension, arrhythmias, stroke and heart attack. The treatment withCPAP it is very effective and improves both rest and cardiovascular risk.
Centrsleep apnoea
Unlike obstructive apnoea, here the brain briefly stops sending the signal to breathe. It is less common, is associated with certain cardiac or neurological diseases and requires a specific approach.
It's not just tiredness: it's a risk to your health
Untreated apnoea keeps the body under stress every night. In the long term it is associated withhigh blood pressure, arrhythmias, increased risk ofheart attack and stroke, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and more traffic and work accidents due to drowsiness. It also affects mood, memory and life as a couple.
The other side is just as clear:Treating apnoea reverses much of that risk, improves tension, energy and concentration, and restores a restful sleep. That is why it is worth diagnosing it and not letting it pass.
What causes apnoea?
Several factors usually add up. Some can be changed — and that is where we focus.
Excess tissue in the neck narrows the airway.
Small jaw, large tonsils, deviated septum.
They relax the throat muscles and worsen the pauses.
More common in men and from middle age.
Difficulty breathing through the nose when sleeping.
Tonsils and large vegetations are the usual cause.
Diagnosis at the Sleep Research Institute
The key test ispolysomnographyor respiratory polygraphy, which can be done in the laboratory or at home.
First consultation
Assessment of symptoms, examination and risk factors
sleep study
Polysomnography or polygraphy, in clinic or at home
Diagnosis (IAH)
We measure the severity and rule out other causes
Treatment
CPAP, mandibular device or measurements depending on your case
The treatment that gives you rest
Treatment is adjusted to the severity and cause. In moderate and severe apnoea, theCPAP—a small piece of equipment that keeps the airway open with pressurized air—is the most effective treatment: it eliminates pauses, stops snoring and improves energy and tension from the first weeks. Today they are silent and comfortable equipment, and we accompany the adaptation to make it work.
Other options
In mild apnoeas or selected cases we assess thedispositivo de avance mandibular, thepositional therapy(avoid sleeping on your back), weight loss and nose treatment. When there is a clear anatomical cause, we coordinate with surgery. The key is a personalized and tracked plan.
I snored so much that we slept in separate rooms and I fell asleep at work. With CPAP the breaks are over: I have energy and we are back in the same bed.
★★★★★
We solve your doubts
Is CPAP forever?
Can I do the study at home?
I snore but I don't think I have apnoea, should I study myself?
Does apnoea make you gain weight or is it the other way around?
Can children have apnoea?
You may also like
Content reviewed by the medical team of the Sleep Research Institute.