Snoring, as a sound, is more of a social problem for others than for the person himself. However, snoring can be a harbinger and one of the main symptoms of a serious illness — the disease of respiratory arrest during sleep or, medically speaking, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA).
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is a disease characterized by the presence of snoring, periodic collapse of the upper respiratory tract at the pharyngeal level and cessation of pulmonary ventilation, decreased blood oxygen levels, gross fragmentation of sleep and excessive daytime drowsiness (Guilleminault S., 1978). Sleep apnea is treated by a somnologist.
Often, witnesses of this disease are awake relatives who anxiously observe how snoring suddenly stops and a frightening respiratory arrest occurs, then the sleeper snores loudly and begins to breathe again. Sometimes there may be up to B00 stops of breathing during the night. The total duration of these respiratory stops can be up to 4 hours per night!!!
This condition can lead to both acute and chronic lack of oxygen in the blood, significantly increase the risk of developing serious cardiovascular complications such as:
• Arterial hypertension;
• Cardiac arrhythmias;
• Stroke;
• Myocardial infarction;
• Sudden death in a dream.
In patients with respiratory disorders, restless shallow non-refreshing sleep, sweating and frequent night urination, bruising and headaches in the morning, sudden daytime drowsiness, irritability, decreased memory and attention, impotence are noted.
If you have three or more of the following symptoms:
• Loud snoring
• Indications of respiratory arrest during sleep
• Restless, not refreshing sleep
• Frequent night urination
(> 2 times per night)
• Shortness of breath or attacks of suffocation at night
• Night sweats [especially in the head area)
• Bruising, headaches in the morning
• Excruciating daytime sleepiness
• Chronic fatigue
• Increased blood pressure (mainly at night and in the morning)
• Overweight
• Decreased potency
then you probably suffer from the disease of respiratory arrest during sleep. Or, in medical terms, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA), in which case a somnologist should help you.
In foreign and domestic literature, polysomnography is considered the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of sleep disorders [prolonged registration of human physiological parameters during sleep).
Methods of diagnosis of respiratory disorders in sleep
Computer pulse oximetry is a modern high—tech method for screening diagnosis of the syndrome
The most effective way to treat moderate and severe forms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is CPAP therapy, a method of creating constant positive pressure in the respiratory tract. The term "CPAP" is an abbreviation of the English words Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (constant positive airway pressure). Its essence is very simple. If the airways are slightly "inflated" during sleep, this will prevent their decline and eliminate the main mechanism of the disease.
"They believe that success comes to those who get up early. No: success comes to those who get up in a good mood." — Marcel Achard
At the sight of such equipment, the question may arise: "But how can you sleep with this?" Indeed, in a healthy person, this can cause a deterioration in the quality of sleep. But with severe snoring and COAC accompanied by hundreds of respiratory stops per night, and consequently hundreds of micro-arousals of the brain, paradoxically, a person with a device sleeps much better than without it. Moreover, snoring and daytime sleepiness are eliminated almost immediately, and the overall quality of life improves. For an answer, you should contact a specialist somnologist.
How do I make an appointment with a somnologist?
You can make an appointment with a somnologist by calling +7 7172 57 74 40, +7 702 094 77 71
The somnologist of the NNMC is Alexey Mikhailovich Pak.
