Specialist raises awareness of sleep apnea

OSA is caused by blocked airflow during sleep from narrowing and closure of the upper airway.

It is important to note how it affects tiredness and how signs and symptoms affect the daily routine.

Untreated sleep apnea could lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes, diabetes and many other forms of ill health.

There are three stages of sleep apnea, namely mild, moderate and severe.

Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea are:

• Snoring

• Chronic tiredness or sleepiness

• Poor concentration or memory impairment

• Morning headaches

• Irritability or mood swings

• Poor sleep quality

• No energy

• High blood pressure

• Obesity

Patients suffering from sleep apnea are likely to complain about the side effects, seldom giving the doctor indication that they might have sleep apnea.

Daleen Groenewald, OSA consultant, says it only gets diagnosed when there has been heart failure.

“A diagnosis is not being made in advance, because the person might not have experienced any problems in the past,” she says.

She adds that the symptoms are usually treated and not the actual cause.

Patients who think they may have this condition need to consult a sleep specialist who then does a questionnaire on the patient and puts them through a test.