On sleep and breathing disorders: This is how you will know it's time to see a doctor

Snoring during the night's sleep, waking up tired, napping at every opportunity?

You may be suffering from sleep disorders that are affecting your lifestyle.

Dr. Avraham Abergel, an ENT specialist, explains when sleep-disordered breathing is a problem that requires in-depth investigation and tailored treatment.

Dr. Avraham Abergel, in collaboration with zap doctors

05/09/2021

Sunday, 05 September 2021, 14:55 Updated: Monday, 13 December 2021, 08:52

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Sleep Disorders (Photo: ShutterStock)

Sleep-disordered breathing is characterized by irregular breathing which is accompanied by cessation of airflow, increase in heart rate and increase in blood pressure as a result of great effort of the brain during sleep.

In this state, the stressed brain secretes substances that produce an unbalanced response in the body, which leads to damage to blood vessels, difficulty in hormonal regulation and later to vascular diseases, strokes and cardiovascular events.

Sleep disorders impair sleep - an important period of time in a person's life - in which the brain assimilates the memories and the body regenerates the forces.

Therefore, people who suffer from the phenomenon experience significant impairment in their lifestyle and level of functioning along with headaches, great fatigue, impaired mental function, decreased concentration and exposure to many dangers.

The signs of respiratory disorders

Snoring, a feeling of great fatigue throughout the day regardless of the length of sleep and frequent waking up due to the hormonal processes taking place in the body and difficulty breathing - are among the first symptoms that indicate the problem.

Other signs are hypertension as well as unexplained headaches, migraines that worsen and a tendency to fall asleep in various situations such as while waiting, sitting in the cinema and in any state of inactivity - in most cases people dealing with fatigue prefer to treat symptoms by consuming stimulants like energy drinks and coffee And excessive consumption of food that leads to obesity and aggravates the problem - if these signs appear, it is recommended to go to the attending physician to begin clarification and adjust treatment.

The causes of sleep disorders

Sleep disorders have a number of causes, they may be due to overweight (BMI over 30) which makes it difficult for the airways and also due to a sleeping position that leads to relaxation of the tongue and pharynx muscles - these block the airway and cause overexertion of the lungs. In these situations it is customary to recommend to the patient to change the sleeping position and reduce weight. In order to diagnose the severity of the sleep disorder, it is customary to perform a sleep test and an ENT examination to diagnose the areas that tend to be blocked during sleep. The degree of sleep disturbance is measured according to the number of breath pauses per hour, the oxygen saturation in the blood and the length of time the person has been below a certain saturation index. All of these indicate the type of stress exerted on the brain during sleep.

Depending on the results of the sleep tests, it is possible to determine whether the patient suffers from a mild, moderate or severe disorder and adjust the treatment to the severity of the problem.

For example, the recommendation for a young person aged 30-40 who experiences mild or moderate respiratory disorders is to monitor the problem, and it is also important to examine whether there is blood pressure and another comorbidity.

A person who has experienced a severe sleep disorder is required to be treated because at this stage a target organ injury is likely to have occurred and he is at high risk for stroke and heart attacks.

Treatments for sleep disorders to varying degrees

The prevalent treatments for the problem are divided into two types: conservative treatment and surgical treatment. The conservative treatment focuses on the recommendation of the CPAP mask and is considered the "golden standard", ie the treatment with the highest degree of effectiveness. There is also a recommendation for weight reduction as the higher the weight (BMI over 30) the less effective the treatment.

Additional treatment for mild and moderate degrees of sleep disorders is given through the use of an oral splint placed on the teeth and its function is to pull the lower jaw and tongue forward and thus maintain an open airway during sleep. This solution is usually tailored by a dentist who specializes in the field.

In addition, it is recommended to avoid sleeping on your back or to use a ping pong ball that prevents lying on your back completely.

You can also use a widget that sends stimulus signals in order to prevent the collapse of the tongue and pharynx muscles into the airway, as well as a tongue nerve pacemaker (a new generation that is less common in the country) that corrects the tongue and helps maintain muscle tension. the sleep.

When conservative treatments do not provide an answer, it is customary to seek a surgical solution.

Surgery to treat respiratory disorders

Surgery to treat respiratory disorders is more common in the elderly and solves the problem of airway obstruction by creating a wider space in the pharyngeal area that does not collapse backwards. The goal of surgery is to reduce the soft tissue that consists of the tonsil area, the soft palate and the base of the tongue and create a soft, anterior and taut soft palate. These surgeries are suitable for any older person whose body mass index - height and weight does not exceed 30 (BMI). When it comes to children and adolescents the surgical reference focuses on the third tonsil, obstruction of the nose and so on.

If you suffer from poor quality sleep and fatigue experienced as a result of discontinuous sleep, have difficulty staying awake during the day and have difficulty balancing the blood pressure index and this leads to significant impairment of quality of life and even poor functioning - contact your doctor and ENT doctor to see if the cause is From sleep-disordered breathing.

Proper treatment will lead to a higher quality of life, restore freshness and vitality and help in the immediate term to experience better functional ability - all of which will contribute to a healthy lifestyle and will be a preventative treatment for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and marriage.

The author is Dr. Avraham Abergel, a senior physician in the ENT department, head, neck and jaw surgeries, coordinates the field of nasal and sinus diseases and sleep disorders and is the director of ENT clinics at Ichilov Hospital. For advice, contact: 0772306924 or by e-mail: libhabero@gmail.com

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