OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA

SleepApnoea Obstructive

Dr David McIntosh

We spend about one third instinct for survival, would make you of our lives asleep. We fight to stop being chocked. But if I can go longer without now tell you that mouth breathing or food and water than we snoring are signs of the equivalent of can without sleep. Sleep is so important someone choking you, do you still have that our brain keeps track of how much the same feeling about wanting to find we have. If we have a night were there is a solution? At a population level, most inadequate amounts of the vital elements people do not even think that this type of sleep, it will prioritise the sleep patterns of poor breathing is a problem. Many to try and play catch up the next night. parents happily watch and listen to their Sleep is really, really important. children mouth breathe or snore. Many Yet we know so little about it, and health adults joke around about how bad their care professionals are taught very little snoring is. But getting choked is no joke. about it. Most health care providers and Consequences of snoring. patient interactions completely neglect sleep as part of the conversation. This is If you snore or mouth breathe, then that despite us knowing that many people are is a sign of an airway problem. It suggests not getting a necessary quantity of quality that there is a very high chance of a sleep. Furthermore, we know that one of blockage somewhere in the nose or throat. the biggest causes of sleep problems The consequences of such blockages are in the world is obstruction to normal a reduction in oxygen levels which then breathing, but again this is approached can cause damage to vital organs such and managed really poorly. as the brain, heart, and kidneys. That is right - brain damage is linked to mouth Adults joke breathing and snoring. So, you should quickly be changing your perspective if you held a complacent point of view to about how bad their snoring is, but don , ’t the topic before now. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. When it comes to obstructed breathing, the big problem that people focus on is a condition called obstructive sleep apnoea ignore the snore. (OSA). This is where you are so blocked, that you do actually stop breathing at times even for a few minutes. This lack of oxygen is very bad as it interrupts your brain’s Snoring is a serious problem: choking is no joke. normal sleep pattern and can lead to a feeling of tiredness or exhaustion when you wake up. This then increases the risk If I were to come into your room at of having car and workplace accidents. It night and start choking you, the basic also leads to mood disturbance and can

even increase the possibility of mental health problems such as depression. So, while OSA is clearly serious, lesser forms of obstructed breathing such as snoring and mouth breathing increase the risk of health problems. This is particularly true in children.

How to approach the problem:

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For children: It is important that parents make the effort to watch and listen over their children’s breathing every few months, just to make sure they are OK. If their child is waking up tired, this is considered to be a major red flag symptom and should not be ignored. Children who mouth breathe and snore should be sent to an ENT professional immediately for further assessment.

For adults: It would not be unusual that someone starts complaining about the snoring. Such observations should not be ignored, especially if there are other health issues like diabetes or high blood pressure in the mix. Again, waking up tired is a major red flag symptom. An ENT professional should be involved in the assessment of such patients to try and identify anatomical problems which might be contributing to the observed breathing issues. Other specialists may also need to be involved to carry out a measurement of the breathing while you are asleep. This is known as a sleep study and should be carried out to determine the extent of the problem.

Dr David McIntosh is a Paediatric ENT Specialist with a particular interest in airway obstruction, facial and dental development and its relationship to ENT airway problems and middle ear disease. He also specialises in sinus disease and provides opinions on the benefit of revision of previous sinus operations. Dr McIntosh can be contacted via this

website.