Floating in and out of consciousness is not conducive to quality rest, an essential for being healthy. Proper rest also has power over hormones, namely leptin and ghrelin, which control appetite and the feeling of being full. A consistent lack of rest confuses your leptin and ghrelin levels, causing them to flip and making your body think it's hungry.
It’s a vicious cycle. With the body constantly in catch-up mode, sleep apnea can cause weight gain, which is also the No.1 aggravator of sleep apnea — particularly in men, whose bodies tend to have more mass in the neck and torso areas. “The epidemic of obesity in our country is one of the reasons this has become such a common problem,” says Dr. David Anderson, founder and medical director of the Rocky Mountain Sleep Disorders Center in Great Falls, Montana.
According to a February study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, weight loss is the most cost-effective and long-lasting way to combat sleep apnea. Losing 55 pounds is how Michael Coates of Seattle, whose sleep apnea left him groggy and overtired, got his disorder in check; at 5’9, he has a 33-inch waist, and eats constantly, but in small increments to maintain a high metabolism. He also sleeps with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. Similar to a traditional oxygen mask, a nasal CPAP is strapped around your head at night. A CPAP device doesn’t actually cure the disorder, but rather alleviates it by blowing air into your nose through a hose while you sleep. With air continuously blowing in, air pressure increases in your airways, leaving them unable to collapse.
Unknown, Untreated, Unsafe
Sleep apnea is relatively unheard-of, despite afflicting a number of people that rivals the entire Los Angeles metropolitan population. The overwhelming majority of those with sleep apnea are undiagnosed, which makes the disorder that much more dangerous. “If (the disorder) goes untreated, the patient will develop a situation where they have chronically low oxygen levels at night,” Anderson explains.
Weight problems, night sweats and moodiness may not seem monumental, but sleep apnea can be very severe. It starts out relatively harmless and progressively worsens with age. If the disorder goes untreated for too long, it significantly increases the chance of things the average person is probably not concerned with on a day-to-day basis, namely heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, strokes and death.
Though obstructive sleep apnea is by far the most common, these traits are also attributed to central and mixed sleep apnea. If obstructive sleep apnea is comparable to putting your hand over the hose, central is like unplugging the vacuum cleaner altogether. Not based on anything physical, central sleep apnea is categorized by a complete shutdown of the brainstem center in charge of breathing. There is no respiratory effort and as a result, no breathing. The disorder’s most rare form, mixed sleep apnea is a case of central sleep apnea that eventually becomes physical in nature.
Sleep Apnea Solutions
Sleep apnea can be life-threatening, but it's treatable. Since central sleep apnea is neurological, it can be helped by drugs such as theophylline, which opens air passages in the lungs. Obstructive sleep apnea can be remedied by surgery or losing weight, depending on the obstruction. If that’s not possible, the disorder can also be alleviated with a breathing-assistance device such as the CPAP or an Adaptive Servo-Ventilation machine, which monitors your breaths and adjust the air pressure accordingly.
These machines are extremely effective, but typically cost several hundred dollars without factoring in the hoses and filters which should be replaced biennially. Cheaper, albeit less effective, ways to diminish the effects of sleep apnea involve simple lifestyle changes: not drinking, not smoking and sleeping on your side, as lying on your back puts additional strain on the airways.
If you think you may have sleep apnea, have a sleep study done. Getting the disorder under control, in addition to being good for your health, can vastly improve the quality of your life. Just ask Coates. “When I was 55 pounds heavier I would always struggle for breath and never have a decent night’s sleep,” he says. “I’m better rested, sleeping more soundly and have more energy. I’d say that’s a win.”
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