Patients with OSA Do's and Don'ts
Facts about OSA in the Workplace
About Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA):
Sleep Apnea is a condition where a person periodically stops breathing during sleep. This causes the person to wake up dozens of times during the night, but in most cases they are unaware of this disruption. The most common type of sleep apnea is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which is caused by closure of the airway. The drawing to the right shows the airway of a healthy individual (left) and an OSA patient (right). The healthy patient is breathing normally with the airway open, but the OSA patient's airway is closed, with the arrows showing the blockage.
Prevalence
Over 40 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder, and 18 million suffer from OSA. Despite the high prevalence, 93% of women and 82% of men with moderate to severe OSA remain undiagnosed.
In a community-based study, men were found to be 2 times more likely than women to have OSA. However, men are 8 times more likely to be treated for OSA than women. This suggests that the symptoms of OSA in women are often attributed to other conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and fibromyalgia.
Symptoms
Snoring: In most cases, patients with OSA snore loudly. The snoring pattern is not steady, and is interrupted by periods when the person stops breathing. The arousal from sleep can result in a gasp or choking sound, followed by a couple of snores and then quiet again as the next event starts.
Drowsiness: For some people OSA causes extreme daytime drowsiness, slower reaction times, and impaired memory. Studies have shown that driving performance in severe sleep apnea patients is similar to driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. In fact, 9 out of 10 police officers have reported stopping a driver who they suspected was drinking, but who was actually drowsy. Furthermore, untreated OSA patients are 3 to 7 times more likely to be involved in industrial and motor vehicle accidents.
Cardiovascular: Abnormal breathing during sleep induces stress on the cardiovascular system and causes hypertension (high blood pressure). Studies show that up to 50% of OSA patients have hypertension. OSA has also been correlated with permanent cardiovascular abnormalities (problems with your heart or blood vessels), and can increase risk for a heart attack or a stroke. People with severe OSA have twice the chance of dying during sleeping hours than those without OSA.
Risk Factors
The most common cause of OSA is obesity. Having a large neck (men: greater than 16.5 inches around, women: greater than 15 inches around) increases your risk for OSA, as it collapses the airway. In small children, large tonsils are the most common cause of OSA.