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.

Women and Sleep Apnea

Typical Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) patients are usually men who are overweight and snore loudly with choking or gasping sounds at night.  There are over 20 million American adults suffer with OSA. While obstructive sleep apnea is more common in men, many women suffer from OSA as well.  Men are twice more likely to have sleep apnea than women, but men are diagnosed with the condition almost 8 times more often than women.   Are women with sleep apnea under-diagnosed and misdiagnosed? What are the symptoms and health risk factors of sleep apnea in women? What are the treatment options?

                  Under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis for women with sleep apnea

Women with sleep apnea are often diagnosed for other sleep disorders instead of sleep apnea. According to the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Specialist, Dr. Angie Randazzo, at St. Lukes Sleep Medicine & Research Center, “Women often don’t have the stereotypical body type and don’t always say they are sleepy.  Many will say they are fatigued, leading clinicians to think they have insomnia versus OSA.”

For more information on sleep apnea and women, contact Dr. Anna Lee and her team!

Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP)

While a c-pap machine is an option to treatment of sleep apnea. There is a better way. Providing an oral dental device can give you your life back. It does not require batteries, it is not bulky and it does not make any noise when you go to sleep. 

CPAP machines are used with a variety of breathing masks. They are most widely used treatment for moderate and severe OSA.CPAP treatment may cause side effects: dry or stuffy nose, irritated skin on the face, dry mouth, and headaches.  If the CPAP device is not adjusted properly, patients may get stomach bloating and discomfort while wearing the mask.

                                  

                Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT)

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has approved oral appliance therapy (OAT) as a first line treatment for patients diagnosed with mild to moderate OSA.  The AASM also recommends oral appliance therapy for patients with severe OSA, who are unable to tolerate or cannot wear CPAP devices.  Another option for people with severe OSA is combination therapy (wearing CPAP and an oral appliance together) to help reduce the pressure on a CPAP machine, making it more comfortable to use.

For more information on a dental device, contact Dr. Lee and her team today!