What are the risk factors andcauses for sleep apnoea?
Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea include:
–-male gender
–-high blood pressure
–-obesity
–-smoking
–-old age
–-use of narcotics, sleeping pills or alcohol
–-neurological diseases
–DIabetes
What are the symptoms ?
Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
–-heavy snoring
–-waking accompanied by gasping
–-morning headache
–Insomnia
–daytime sleepiness
–-concentration disorders
–-high blood pressure difficult to control
How is sleep apnea diagnosed?
Previously, the main way to diagnose sleep apnea was so-called Polysomnography, which was only performed in the laboratory. In this examination, you sleep overnight in the laboratory, during which time machines are attached to you that monitor organ function, breathing patterns, and leg and arm movements. Advances in medical technology now allow sleep apnea diagnosis to be done entirely at home, without having to leave the comfort and convenience of your home. This is possible with the help of modern portable sleep and breathing disorder screening devices. These devices perform complete respiratory monitoring of vital parameters that indicate the presence of sleep disturbances without having to change your daily routine.
Treatment methods for obstructive sleep apnea?
Промени в начина на живот:
–smoking cessation
–stopping alcohol use or not drinking alcoholic beverages a few hours before sleep
–losing weight
–avoid sleeping on your back
Sleep apnea machine treatment:
-CPAP mask (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). This is the most widely used method of treating sleep apnoea (obstructive or central) and involves wearing a mask around the nose during sleep. The mask is connected to a machine that generates pressurized air, thus preventing the airway from closing.
-BPAP mask (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure - Positive Airway Pressure at two levels) - unlike CPAP, which maintains a constant supply air pressure when you inhale and exhale, BPAP machines send air at a higher pressure when you inhale and at a lower pressure when you exhale. The purpose of this type of treatment is to help weak breathing. Some BPAP machines automatically supply air when they sense that you have not breathed over a certain number of seconds.
oxygen therapy - The machine supplies extra oxygen to your respiratory system while you sleep. This therapy has shown effectiveness in some cases of sleep apnea.
-rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a new non-invasive method of modulating the activity of the central nervous system. The idea of the method is to achieve an overall improvement of the condition without the use of drugs, but entirely naturally. It is used for insomnia, burnout syndromes, depression, memory and concentration disorders, after strokes and other brain damage.
What complications can sleep apnea cause?
Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk for:
–The development of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity and diabetes;
–The development or worsening of heart failure;
–The development of cardiac arrhythmias;
–Fatigue - due to frequent awakenings at night and can lead to reduced concentration at work or while driving, which can lead to serious accidents
Clinic of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Apnea at SanaMedic Medical Center Varna
The office has state-of-the-art equipment - electro-encephalograph (EEG), electrocardiograph (ECG), electromyograph (EMG), transcranial magnetic modulator (rTMS). 
