Sleep apnea is a condition where your breath stops temporarily or interrupted during night. When you experience it, your brain automatically awakens you from your sleep. You can make a loud snoring, a snort or a panting sound to breathe again.
In women, snoring can be made very little clear, so it is not as easy to tell alone from this symptom. Women are more likely to experience day sleep, impaired attention and change in mood.
This can delay diagnosis as sleep apnea in women can be misbehaved for anxiety, depression and menopause. Since the signs are more subtle, Research shows that 90% women Those who have sleep apnea can be unknown.
We have interacted with a sleep medicine specialist and a clinical sleep teacher to get more information about this important sleep health topic for women.
What is sleep apnea?
“Sleep apnea is a condition where the breath stops or is interrupted at night, erasing a person’s sleep quality,” Dr. Anthony Iso, a board-certified neurologist and sleep medicine specialist, who is the Sleep Center Medical Director. Saint vincent hospital,
“Every time the breath stops, the brain receives an alert about low oxygen, and is forced to a mild phase of sleep to a mild phase to address the alert.”
There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive and central. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is very common. Dr. Izo says.
“OSA occurs because tissue in the top of the airway, the nose and the back of the mouth fall down when the muscles relax during sleep because it blocks the flow of air for the lungs,” they explain.
“Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain does not make the right signs for breathing,” he says.
“It is associated with the underlying medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, lung diseases, or long -term use of opioid drugs. But we do not see it much in clinical practice.”
Does sleep apnea affect women differently from men?
Yes, it does a lot. Women are not able to be able to focus or focus on microscopic symptoms such as mood changes and day -to -day focus.
This means that diagnosis may be delayed or the situation may be misunderstood for symptoms of menopause or depression.
Laurie Leadley, Clinical Sleep Educator, Chairman and Founder explain, “I can’t even tell you how important it is because sleep apnea in women often becomes uncontrolled.” Valley sleep center,
“Symptoms are attributed to normal life challenges such as stress, and menopause. But the truth is that sleep apnea is ignored in women.”
Symptoms of sleep apnea in women
Although men and women experience some similar symptoms of sleep apnea, such as snoring also have differences. Women are more likely to experience these subtle signs.
Frequent morning headache
If you are prone to start your morning with a dull headache, it may sign a tail-tail. Morning headache that you get up are associated with obstructive sleep apnea.
A 2015 study published in Headache and pain journal 48 people were seen, who were detected OSA and experienced morning headache. They found that 25% per month was morning headache for more than 15 days.
Mood change
Its effect on obstructive sleep apnea and sleep quality can also feel worried, irritable and impatient. It can affect your mood and also cause depression.
“Sometimes when your symptoms are not serious, it can be easy to write them because there is nothing to worry about,” Lary tells them.
“But my advice is to keep in mind that regularly you are worried or less feeling. No, these are not just you bitch or hard to deal with it.”
Forgetting and fuzzy thinking
Although women with sleep apnea are less likely to snore loudly as they suddenly wake up during night, the situation may still disrupt the quality of their sleep.
Unexpectedly, it affects your cognitive health on a knock. You may have difficulty thinking clearly, and your attention, attention and concentration may also be impaired.
Dr. Izo explains, “A woman can be the only symptom with the experiences of sleep apnea due to problems with focus or memory throughout the day, even if they do not think it is related.”
Morning dry mouth
Waking up with a regular dried mouth or sore throat may also indicate resistant sleep apnea. It is considered as an important symptom in OSA and it is impaired overnight due to your breathing.
This can cause a decline in oxygen concentration as a result of breathing from open mouth. Your mouth then becomes dry and you may also be more likely to experience morning headache.
Need to go to the toilet at night
“Constant urination during night can also be a sign of sleep apnea in women during the night.”
As OSA causes frequent sleep disruption, you can find that it wants to go more into the toilet during the night.
If you find that you are awake to urinate several times a night, it can still indicate OSA (even if it looks like a separate and unrelated issue).
What is the cause of sleep apnea in women?
Some reasons for OSA are similar for both men and women. For example, weight gain and size or anatomy of the upper airway. With Central Sleep Apnea, it is often associated with underlying medical conditions such as congestive heart failure and lung diseases.
We also see that sleep apnea deteriorates during menopause
Hormonal changes in women can play an important role at the beginning of sleep apnea as Dr. Izo explains.
“We know that sleep apnea can usually occur in patients without a pre -history, starting in the second trimester of pregnancy. It can deteriorate in severity in the second and third trimester,” they say.
He said, “We also see that sleep apnea deteriorates during menopause, although patients would usually have already been diagnosed with pre-manopause in this condition,” they say. “Menopause is often associated with weight gain, which, in turn, deteriorates the severity of sleep.”
How can women treat sleep apnea
While the symptoms of sleep apnea can be different, solutions remain large to the extent. But this is different for everyone, so be sure to speak directly with a physician. Below are common treatment for sleep apnea.
Lifestyle
For mild sleep apnea, lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and losing weight and improving sleep hygiene can be very beneficial in treating the situation.
If you also have an allergy that affects your breathing such as allergic rhinitis, your doctor or sleep specialist may suggest a treatment that can help reduce your allergy symptoms.
Keeping active regularly along with your lungs -it is also good for your general health and can help reduce the number of breathing when you sleep.
CPAP Mask
If lifestyle changes do not fully help in treating your sleep apnea symptoms, then you may be provided with a constant positive airways (CPAP) machine and mask.
Dr. “A CPAP mask is considered the first line for sleep apnea because it is effective for all the severity of the OSA,” says Izo.
The machine delivers the air under pressure through the mask placed above your nose and mouth. This can help keep your airways open to prevent impaired breathing at bedtime.
mouth guard
Another treatment option for mild to moderate sleep apnea is an oral tool such as a sleep apnea mouthguard that you will wear while sleeping. These are designed to keep your throat open when you sleep to reduce symptoms.
They work by preventing your tongue from blocking your throat and this can help prevent snoring. Another option is a mouthguard that works slightly by extending your lower jaw to keep your throat open.
These oral equipment is easy to use, but you cannot find them comfortable, and they cannot work for all.
