Sleep Apnea Research Papers

Imagine waking up ten times an hour every hour. Do you think you could get a decent amount of sleep? A person with sleep apnea does this but doesn’t even know it. How is this possible? Sleep apnea is a medical disorder and if not treated can have serious risks of not getting enough sleep. “Sleep Apnea refers to repeated periods during sleep when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or longer. The person may repeatedly stop breathing, momentarily wake up, resume breathing, and return to sleep. Repeated awakenings during the night result in insomnia and leave the person exhausted during the day but not knowing the cause of the tiredness” (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2011). According to Mayo Clinic, the muscles in the back of your throat relax.
This then causes your airway to narrow or close as you breathe in. Your brain senses that you cannot breathe and briefly awakes you from sleep so that you can reopen your airway. The awakening is so brief that most of the time you do not even remember it. You begin to make a snorting, choking or gasping sound (Staff M. C., 2015). “This pattern can repeat itself five to 30 times or more each hour, all night long. These disruptions impair your ability to reach the desired deep sleep and restful phases of sleep…” (Staff M. C., 2015). “In addition, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for poor performance in everyday activities, such as at work and school, motor vehicle crashes, and academic underachievement in children and adolescents” (Blahd, 2016). All of these problems result in not having enough sleep. Sleep apnea is one of the most underdiagnosed sleep disabilities and can happen at any age. For instances, your child could have sleep apnea and not even know about it. The child doesn’t know what is going on, because they are going to bed a decent time. There are numerous stories on people’s experience with sleep apnea. Lauren is a 37 year old newly diagnosed patient with sleep apnea and she shares her complications with sleep apnea.
Lauren talks about how she was terrified to even sleep when she found out that she had sleep apnea. She afraid that she could die in her sleep. She would refuse to go to sleep on her own. The only time she slept, was when she would involuntarily fall asleep in the chair in the family room (Sleep, 2013). “Considering that the little bit of sleep I was getting was severely disturbed, it’s no wonder I could not function in my daily life” (Sleep, 2013). Lauren also mentions how she became very depressed. She even considered suicide as a solution to get the sleep that she
wanted. Lauren decided enough was enough.
She wanted a way that she could sleep without being in complete terror. She then decided to go on a CPAP machine. What is a CPAP machine? It stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (Staff, 2014). “… the machine increases air pressure in your throat so that your airway doesn’t collapse when you breath in” (Staff, 2014). Lauren says that she feels like she is a whole new person since she has received the CPAP. “I can never get back the wasted years, and that is so unfair” (Sleep, 2013). Lauren feels bad for not being there for her kids and husband. She wishes that she could have been more of a wife and a loving mother. Four years later, Laurens life has changed for the better. She now even works for the American Sleep Apnea Association. She has dedicated herself to helping those who have sleep apnea. She believes that she has grown stronger by sharing her experiences and knowledge with others (Sleep,
2013). After reading Lauren’s story, it is safe to say that untreated sleep apnea is downright miserable. It is just frustrating knowing that you have slept for nine hours, but feels like you have only slept for about three. You also have the risk of going to sleep and potentially never waking up again. It is best for you to seek medical attention if you believe you have sleep apnea.