Calanna's Blog: Sleep Apnea

Snoring, tossing, turning, waking in the morning tired or with a headache may mean more than just an ordinary night’s sleep – especially if it happens frequently.

Sleep Apnea is a condition that is generally caused by an obstruction of the airways. This obstruction can lead to blockage of the airways causing you to actually stop breathing for a period of time and reducing oxygen levels to your brain causing suffers to “wake up” during the night at times gasping for breath. For chronic sleep apnea suffers, this can happen dozens if not hundreds of times per night – it’s no wonder people with undiagnosed sleep apnea can be tired and irritable during the day, nod off and suffer many other health problems including high blood pressure.

It is estimated at least 25% of men aged 55 years and over and 9% of women in the same age group suffer from the condition and 80% of cases will go undetected. The incidence of sleep apnea is growing significantly with obesity rates on the rise. If left undetected, sleep apnea can lead to a number of very serious health problems including high blood pressure (which can lead to heart damage, heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

The good thing is – you can do something about it! And it’s not that hard!

How can I find out if I have sleep apnea?

Talk to your GP or pharmacist if you have any of the following symptoms including:-

Snoring
Restless Sleep
Tiredness during the day
High blood pressure

These are some of the more classical symptoms of sleep apnea and not an exhaustive list. People that have any of the above symptoms may not necessarily have sleep apnea.

Diagnosing Sleep apnea has come along way in the last few years and testing is as simple as… sleeping. That is right, there are a number of simple overnight sleep tests available now which you can do in the comfort of your own home.

How do I get tested?

If your GP is concerned you may have sleep apnea then testing is the only way to find out for sure. Testing involves wearing a device overnight that monitors a range of factors including your blood oxygen levels, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and brain impulses during the night. The test will determine whether, during the night, your breathing stops at any point (and how often). This will provide valuable insight into whether you have sleep apnea or not and what treatment might be most beneficial.

How is Sleep apnea treated?

Again, there has been huge advances in sleep apnea treatments over the last 5 years. Diagnosed sleep apnea is generally treated using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy or CPAP for short. Similar to the inset picture, CPAP is delivered by a machine and through a mask that you wear over your nose and or mouth. This machine delivers pressurised air which helps open your airways keeping them clear during sleep. Treatment is painless, quiet, and easy and generally produces dramatic results in a short period of time.

Where do I go for help?

Start with your GP or Pharmacist
Calanna Pharmacy Woree have a fully equipped sleep testing and CPAP clinic which can take you through the process of a sleep test, diagnosis by a Thoracic specialist, explanation of the results, recommended treatment and the full array of the latest CPAP equipment, masks and spare parts. Most importantly, the Woree clinic has a range of masks and machines that you can trial on a short term basis to ensure you are getting the equipment that suits you best and you are most comfortable with.

In many cases sleep tests are bulk billed by Medicare if a referral from your GP is provided.

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