What is sleep apnoea?
What is sleep apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is a little known disease, but it is favoured by excess weight (thickening of the throat walls) and appears more and more frequently with age. Thus, people over 65 years of age are 3 times more likely to develop this disease than other categories of the population because the throat muscles are less toned and relaxed, preventing the passage of air.
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In practice, sleep apnoea is characterised by involuntary stops of breathing during sleep, which reduces the oxygenation of the body and causes the patient to wake up. A patient with sleep apnoea can hardly rest. During the day, they may often feel tired, have difficulty concentrating and suffer from headaches.
The risk factors
Age and weight are risk factors for developing sleep apnoea. Men are 2 to 3 times more affected than women. Heredity, nasal obstruction, alcohol consumption and certain medications as well as possible respiratory tract abnormalities are the factors that promote sleep disorders.
Symptoms and consequences of sleep apnoea
The fatigue that the patient feels manifests itself as soon as they wake up. During the day, they experience drowsiness, which promotes uncontrolled falling asleep, which can be dangerous (car, machines).
Patients who are still undiagnosed and do not know the cause of their fatigue feel irritability, memory problems, and sometimes a depressive tendency. Studies have shown that one in five women with sleep apnoea syndrome suffers from depression.
Studies have shown that one in five women with sleep apnoea syndrome suffers from depression.
Nevertheless, it is estimated that a majority of patients are still undiagnosed and do not know the cause of their fatigue.
Published 1 Nov 2019
