Women with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The cause of death of a famous movie star, Carrie Fisher, was sleep apnea and “other undetermined factors” in December 2016.  She was 60 years old.  Typical obstructive sleep apnea patients are usually men who are overweight and snore loudly with choking or gasping sounds at night.  While obstructive sleep apnea patients are common in men, many women suffer from OSA and go undiagnosed and misdiagnosed.  Obstructive sleep apnea patients come in all shapes, size, genders, races and some have atypical symptoms.

These are some of the reasons women with OSA who are undiagnosed and misdiagnosed:

·       Women present atypical symptoms

·       Men are less likely to complain about their wives snoring

·       Doctors are less likely to ask women about sleep related symptoms

According to a study at The University of Chicago, “Sleep apnea presents itself differently for women, which may lead them to go undiagnosed.”                                                                              Some of the atypical (not classic) symptoms in women with OSA:

·       Insomnia

·       Restlessness in legs

·       Tired or fatigue

·       Depression

·       Daytime sleepiness

·       Morning headaches

·       Fibromyalgia

·       Concentration or memory difficulties

·       Frequent urination at night

·       Heartburn at night

·       Night sweats

·       Lack of energy during day

·       Dry mouth on awakening

·       A feeling of being overwhelmed

·       Uncontrollable high blood pressure

·       Obesity

The classic symptoms in men with OSA are snoring, gasping for air during sleep, drowsiness and sleepiness during the day, at work, or while driving.

*Note:  Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.                                                                                     *Note:  Not everyone who has sleep apnea snores.

Women & Sleep Apnea Toolkit: raises awareness of sleep-disordered breathing (OSA) in women

·       November 29, 2017, the Society for Women’s Health Research released the toolkit

·       Purpose of toolkit: provide women and their health care providers with gender specific information about obstructive sleep apnea and sleep disordered breathing

·       Patient page asks women about their daytime and night time symptoms

Daytime symptoms of OSA: feeling depressed, anxious, irritable, impatient, tired or drained.  Women with OSA may notice that they struggle to stay awake and may fall asleep at the wrong time or place.  Cognitive difficulties, such as forgetfulness, foggy or fuzzy thinking

Nighttime symptoms OSA:  snoring is not the only symptom with OSA.  Women have difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings and restless sleep

·       Toolkit guides the women and their health care providers to improve diagnosis, treatment and management of sleep disorders

Some treatment options for women with OSA:

·       CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure): In 2006, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) reviewed all available evidence for CPAP and concluded that treatment was effective for patient s with moderate to severe OSA

·       Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) is a treatment option for patients with mild to moderate OSA

·       Life style changes:  lose weight

Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious medical problem for men and women.  If you are experiencing any of the classic or atypical (not classic) symptoms of sleep apnea, contact Glendora dentist,                   

 Dr. Anna Lee.  She is a trained dentist in sleep apnea who can assist you with treatment.  For more information, please visit our sleep website at www.glendorasleep.com  or call our office at 626-335-5114 for a FREE sleep apnea Consultation.