睡眠 呼吸暂停

迹象 & 症状

睡眠呼吸暂停的常见症状包括:

• 不安分的睡觉
• 响,重 打鼾 经常被沉默和喘息打断
• 因缺乏睡眠而引起的困倦或疲劳
• 早晨头痛
• 易怒、健忘、情绪或行为改变
• 焦虑或抑郁

If sleep apnea isn't treated, it can lead to serious health problems such as:

• 高血压或高血压
• 心脏病，心脏病发作和中风
• 精神症状，如抑郁
• 阳痿和对性缺乏兴趣
• Memory loss or other problems with mental processing, also called cognitive dysfunction

诊断

如果你认为你可能有睡眠呼吸暂停, your doctor may be able to make a diagnosis based on the description of your 症状. 此外， 一夜之间评价 with a sleep study may be performed to assess the severity and cause of your sleep problems.

During an overnight sleep study at your home or in a sleep laboratory, your breathing and other body functions are monitored while you sleep.

在睡眠实验室里，比如 UCSF睡眠测试实验室，测试，称为 polysomnograms, 监测你的心脏, 肺, brain activity and eye movement as well as your breathing patterns, 你睡觉时的血氧水平和身体运动.

在家里, a portable monitor can measure the amount of oxygen in your blood, volume of air flowing through your nose when you breathe, your heart rate and chest movements that could indicate effort exerted when breathing.

治疗

睡眠呼吸暂停不经治疗很少会消失. 治疗 include lifestyle changes and behavior modification, 比如减肥, 侧卧或俯卧而不是仰卧, and avoiding alcohol two to three hours before going to bed.

如果这些努力都失败了，最有效的治疗方法是 持续气道正压通气. A mask covers your nose and mouth and is attached to a device that pumps a continuous flow of air while you sleep. 流入鼻孔的空气有助于保持呼吸道畅通.

Many patients find the mask uncomfortable and give up on treatment, 但是通过练习, you can learn how to adjust the mask and adapt to the air pressure. You may need to try more than one type of mask before you find the one that works best for you.

人们还在开发新的设备来提高舒适度:

• 增湿器. Air pumped by the CPAP device may cause dryness in the nasal passages and throat, 舌痛鼻出血. CPAP加湿器有助于减轻副作用.
• 鼻枕. The CPAP nasal pillow is smaller than the conventional mask and plugs into the nostrils, 让呼吸更舒适.
• 减压. 顶着气压呼气会让人不舒服. 一个设备, 叫做CPAP减压, automatically adjusts the air presssure when you inhale and exhale. The device flexes down air pressure when you start to exhale, then flexes up to treatment level when you inhale for better comfort.

其他治疗方法有:

• Dental devices to open the throat by forcing the lower jaw forward.
• Surgery by an otolaryngologist or head and neck surgeon to open breathing passages by repositioning or removing tissue of the nose, 喉咙和下巴.
• Oral and maxillofacial surgeons can surgically reposition your jaw to open your throat.