Sometimes snoring is more than just snoring. It can actually be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition that causes your airway to repeatedly collapse during sleep, briefly cutting off your breathing. It affects up to 32.4% of Americans (more than 80 million people), yet an estimated 80% of those with the condition don’t even know they have it.
Here are the subtle symptoms to look for, the best way to go about getting diagnosed, and the latest treatment options that can help you feel better—all day and all night.
Causes
This condition occurs when your airway collapses or becomes blocked (either partially or completely) while you’re asleep. “People with sleep apnea typically don’t have any trouble breathing while they’re awake,” says Jennifer Martin, MD, a professor at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami. “But as we fall asleep, our muscles relax, and their airway collapses.”
When that happens you stop breathing, which causes your oxygen levels to drop. That triggers your brain to wake you up so you’ll take a breath. “There can be an arousal from sleep, something in the 3-to-10-second range,” says James Rowley, MD, a professor of medicine at Rush University in Chicago. “You won’t even know it happened.”
As scary as this might sound—I’m sorry, did you say “stop breathing”?—Dr. Martin says it doesn’t get to the point where you could suffocate. “Your brain is really smart; it won’t let you die from not breathing.” Instead, you may just feel really, really tired the next day because you kept waking up.
Types
A quick note about the term sleep apnea: In this article it refers to obstructive sleep apnea, but there is actually another less common form of the condition called central sleep apnea (CSA).
With CSA your brain doesn’t always tell your muscles to breathe during sleep. “When you’re awake breathing is both voluntary and involuntary,” Dr. Martin explains. That means you can make yourself take a breath, but if you forget, you’ll keep breathing anyway. “When you’re asleep it’s only involuntary, and with central sleep apnea that signaling may not work the way it’s supposed to.”
There is also complex sleep apnea. This occurs when OSA becomes CSA while you’re receiving sleep apnea therapy.
Risk factors
What ups the chance of your airway closing while you’re sleeping? One major risk factor is having obesity. Carrying excess weight in the head and neck can mean “there’s less space for your airway, and it’s more likely to collapse,” Dr. Martin says. Abdominal fat can also contribute, making it hard for your chest to completely expand and relax when you’re asleep.