‘Obstructive sleep apnea can impact quality of life’

The burden of sleeping disorder is underestimated, says pulminologist

The obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was a neglected condition that could impact the health of individuals and their quality of life. There was a need to identify and treat the disease to avoid complications, according to doctors.

“At least one-third of adult life is spent in sleeping. Sleep is important for a healthy metabolism, and any disturbances could have a spill over to the next day’s functions,” Supraja K., pulmonologist, Madras Medical Mission (MMM), told presspersons on Wednesday.

She said that people snore during sleep due to the narrowing of the upper part of the airway. A further compression could cause cessation of breathing when the brain recognises it and wakes up the person. “This cycle keeps going on during the eight hours of sleep. It is like disturbing the person every 30 seconds or one minute. As a result, the person experiences fatigue and is not refreshed after eight hours of sleep. Over a period of time, this could cause slight changes in pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels in the body,” she said.

OSA was not recognised and its burden was highly underestimated, she said and added that it had consequences on the health and quality of life of people.

Ajit Mullasari, director of Cardiology, MMM, where a Sleep Lab was established six months ago, said patients with pre-existing cardiac problems could face heart attack and even sudden cardiac death becase of OSA. The condition worsens many known chronic diseases such as stroke, coronary artery disease, heart rhythm changes, hypertension and diabetes.

At the Sleep Lab, polysomnography (sleep study), a study where the parameters of the heart, brain, respiratory and limb movements are recorded live through the duration of sleep - is done to diagnose OSA. Treatment included lifestyle modifications, weight reduction and healthy eating pattern and use of devices such as continuous positive airway pressure machine, Dr. Supraja said.

A small analysis found that there was significant reduction in the blood pressure level, while drop in HbA1c was demonstrated in patients who underwent treatment, she said. Noting that 90% of people snored, she said snoring was not a disease but the pattern needs to be observed for any breaks in between and fatigue after eight hours of sleep.