Heavy snoring can signal a serious sleep disorder

Posted: Sunday, June 04, 2006

A good night's sleep seemed like an impossible dream for Michael Archer.

Since high school, the 37-year-old Amarillo man suffered from sleep deprivation so severe he had trouble staying awake during the day.

"I'd become a walking zombie," Archer said.

He'd nod off at his desk. He fell asleep at dinner.

"Driving home a few times, I had to roll down the car window," he said. "And I only live three minutes from work."

Archer tried sleep medications, nose strips, chest rubs, humidifiers and more.

Nothing worked.

Then he spent a night at Baptist St. Anthony's Sleep Lab with sensors and monitors recording everything from heart rate to muscle movement.

Results showed Archer had obstructive sleep apnea, meaning he quit breathing hundreds of times during the night. Loss of oxygen was taking a toll on his body.

"Sleep apnea is a very serious thing, even when it's mild or moderate," said Dr. Marshall Bradshaw, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwest Texas Healthcare System. "If someone isn't breathing, oxygen isn't getting to the brain and vital organs. Over time, the heart has to keep working harder and harder."

The condition affects more than 18 million Americans, neurologist Dr. Ruby Saulog said. Most people don't seek medical help, or - like Archer - they wait until they're desperate. "Probably only 2 percent of people with sleep apnea are diagnosed and treated," she said.

Apnea, characterized by loud snoring, is defined as a cessation of breath lasting at least 10 seconds. Apneas occur when muscles in the back of the throat are not able to keep the throat open, causing blockages in the airway and breathing interruptions.

"A patient may snore, then stop with no movement, then suddenly they gasp or snort," said Patty Price, director of NWTH's sleep lab.

Yet most patients are totally unaware of what's happening.

"Most apnea is diagnosed by a spouse or sleeping partner," Price said.

Archer's wife, Carmen, said she'd reached a point where his snoring interrupted her sleep.

"The constant noise kept me awake at night," she said. "I'd tap him and get him to roll over and sometimes he'd stop snoring. But it was upsetting because there were times when I could tell he wasn't breathing."

Archer's apnea became more pronounced as he gained weight.

More than half of people with sleep apnea are overweight and experts blame the nation's obesity epidemic for the increased number of apnea cases.

The combination of sleep disturbance and oxygen starvation is life-threatening, often resulting in such problems as heart disease, hypertension, mood and memory problems, diabetes and more.

"What's really scary is that a person with severe sleep apnea is as lethal as someone who has chugged 10 to 11 beers," said Melissa Helton, coordinator at BSA's sleep lab. "And those people are driving cars and heavy equipment."

The good news: Apnea is highly treatable with a continuous positive airway pressure mask worn over the nose. The CPAP delivers slightly pressurized air to keep the patient's airway open.

"It's amazing how quickly it works," said Tara Tye, nurse at Amarillo Diagnostic Clinic Sleep Disorder Center. "When patients come in for a sleep study, they're usually crabby, their arms crossed against their chest. Two weeks after they sleep with a CPAP, it's like a personality change. They're smiling and happy."

Archer said his energy has increased tremendously.

"I actually sleep at night," he said. "I've even been in the backyard playing with my 5-year-old daughter."

And his wife is relieved.

"Within the first couple of weeks, I could tell a huge difference," she said. "Before, it was like he wasn't really here. He didn't remember things we talked about. He was so out of it. It's great to have my husband back."

What Is Sleep Apnea?


- From www.drkoop.com

Do you suffer from sleep apnea?

Answering yes to two or more of the following questions might indicate you are suffering from sleep apnea. Contact your physician, or go to sleepfoundation.org

1. Do you snore?

2. Are you sleepy during the day?

3. Are you overweight?

4. Do you wake up with morning headaches?

5. Do you have high blood pressure?

6. Are you irritable, fatigued or experiencing difficulty concentrating?

7. Do you find it hard to stay awake while driving, reading, watching TV or attending a meeting?

8. Do you ever wake up choking or gasping, or do you have a racing heartbeat during the night?

9. Has anyone ever watched you sleep and told you that you hold your breath, or that you often move when you are sleeping?

10. Do you suffer from depression?

Recognize sleep apnea?

Test yourself to see whether you suffer the symptoms of this common medical condition. If so, there is help to allow sufferers to lead a normal life.


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