Complex Sleep Apnea

There have been studies of correlation between sleep apnea and asthma. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by a disturbance of breathing as a person sleeps. The pauses are called apneas, and it can last for a period of time that normal breathing is disrupted, causing the person to skip one or more breaths. Doctors have categorized apneas to have caused a pause of 10 seconds between each breath, which should cause a neurological arousal or a desaturation of oxygen in the blood of 3 to 4 per cent or more. Both neurological arousal and blood oxygen desaturation can also occur at the same time.

There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and complex. It has been estimated that 84% of sleep apnea are obstructive, central 0.4% and 15% complex. Obstructive is the most common, is caused by the physical block to airflow despite efforts by the body to breathe. Central sleep apnea has something to do with how the brain signals the body to breathe, and the miscommunication interrupts the breathing. Complex sleep apnea is actually the combination of both obstructive and central, which means that the two types of sleep apnea transition to another.

The problem with sleep apnea, however, is the inability to recognize the person he or she has, even if the person awakes in the middle of the night. Usually, sleep apneas are identified by other witnesses who sleep habits of the person. Some people who suffer from sleep apnea could continue without knowing they have for years or even decades. Although rarely fatal, sleep apnea causes anxiety, fatigue and sleepiness during the morning.

Asthma, on the other hand, is more recognizable to many because it is largely hereditary and easy to diagnose. Although both could be quite different, this does not mean they are not correlated. According to the University Center Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical, young women with asthma are twice as likely to develop sleep apnea. They noticed that young women with asthma snores a lot during sleep, and one of the best indicators that a person has sleep apnea is habitual snoring. Many people often overlook the snoring in young adults as indicators of sleep apnea, as many have the idea that sleep apnea affects only the elderly (especially men). In fact, there are many groups of people who are susceptible to sleep apnea, and researchers at the University of Cincinnati have correlated respiratory complications (due to smoking, asthma or other) with apnea sleep.

Other studies have also found that asthma can cause sleep disorders other than sleep apnea. In support of this theory is that many asthmatics have reported drowsiness during the day, which is an indicator of sleep apnea. However, patients who suffer from sleep apnea and asthma have found relief of their asthma when they were treated for their sleep apnea. The problem with this theory is that the research has not yet been specifically correlating sleep apnea and both asthma. Although many studies have shown that there is a connection, until they found a clear link between the two, they will always have time to find a better way to treat both conditions.

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