What is sleep apnea?

22 May 2021

Among sleep disorders, apnea consists of the momentary and frequent cessation of breathing while you sleep. It is a condition that can lead to serious respiratory and cardiac situations depending on the severity of the case.

There are several types of apnea: the obstructive is the most common and simple, it occurs when the respiratory obstruction is caused by the tension of the throat muscles; another is the so-called central apnea due to a brain dysfunction that prevents the brain from sending the correct orders to the muscles of the respiratory system; while the third type is a combination of the previous two, being the most serious.

Potential causes and risks:

This problem occurs when the various throat muscles remain rigid and cause a respiratory blockage that causes a decrease in oxygen in the blood, waking you up many times during the night (between seven and 40 times per hour), which makes it impossible to achieve deep sleep, preventing rest.

There are several aspects that significantly increase the possibility of suffering from sleep apnea:

Obesity.
Chronic breathing problems.
Smoking and alcoholism.
Conditions such as asthma, diabetes, Parkinson’s, hypertension, and heart failure.
Being a male senior citizen since this is the most prone profile.
Having relatives with this disease.

Signs and symptoms Sleep apnea

Snoring and gasping when sleeping.
Morning headaches.
Dry mouth.
Tiredness.
Feel like sleeping throughout the day.

Diagnosis and treatment Sleep apnea

Once your symptoms and medical history have been analyzed, your doctor will refer you to a sleep disorders clinic to determine if you suffer from apnea through tests that monitor your sleep periods.

If the diagnosis is confirmed, you should probably consult specialists in cardiology, neurology, or otorhinolaryngology to define the causes of its appearance. When it comes to mild apnea problems, it is common that you are recommended to exercise, lose weight, and stop smoking, in addition to prescribing medications to treat the symptoms.

However, for milder cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend only a few lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting smoking. However, if the problem is not corrected, surgery will be necessary, either bariatric or to enlarge the airways. At the Nutrition & Obesity Center, we offer you comprehensive care according to your needs to help you have a healthy lifestyle, control your weight, change your body composition, prevent and manage associated diseases, as well as improve your physical and sports performance. We have specialized schemes for accelerated and sustained weight loss under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team, based on safe and scientifically supported methods.

Related centers and departments Sleep apnea

High Specialty Surgery Center
Obstetrics Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

mayoclinic.org
cigna.com
sos-bariatria.com
medlineplus.gov
medigraphic.com
Uribe WAC. Consecuencias metabólicas de la apnea del sueño . Rev Neurol Neurocir Psiquiat. 2018;46(2):65-71.
Guerrero-Zúñiga S, Gaona-Pineda EB, Cuevas-Nasu L, et al. Prevalencia de síntomas de sueño y riesgo de apnea obstructiva del sueño en México. salud publica mex. 2018;60(3):347-355.
Carrillo-Mora P, Barajas-Martínez KG, Sánchez-Vázquez I, et al. Trastornos del sueño: ¿qué son y cuáles son sus consecuencias?. Rev Fac Med UNAM . 2018;61(1):6-20.

How can we help you?

The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.

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Comparison of COVID-19 vaccines

Pfizer-
BioNTech

Pfizer-BioNTech

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 95% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

No Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 16 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, malaise, and swollen lymph nodes.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 14 days of having the complete scheme (after the administration of the 2nd dose), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

Moderna

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 94.5% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 28 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 18 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes in the arm in which you received the injection.

Janssen/
Johnson
& Johnson

Janssen/ Johnson & Johnson

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 72.0% in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.
85% in the prevention of severe COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives./strong>

How many doses are needed?
Only one dose in needed.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 28 days of having the complete scheme (the last dose applied), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from 85% serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

AstraZeneca
and
Oxford
University

AstraZeneca and Oxford University

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 82% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 56 days apart (or up to 84 days apart, if necessary).

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and fever, which were mild to moderate in intensity and disappeared within 48 hours of vaccination.

Sputnik V

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 92% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

What is sleep apnea?

Signs and symptoms Sleep apnea

Diagnosis and treatment Sleep apnea

Related centers and departments Sleep apnea

Fuentes:

Index

Specialist in Sleep apnea