{"id":65925,"date":"2025-02-01T14:50:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T21:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=65925"},"modified":"2025-03-03T12:57:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T19:57:44","slug":"how-to-know-if-you-have-sleep-apnea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/how-to-know-if-you-have-sleep-apnea\/","title":{"rendered":"How to know if you have sleep apnea"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UCHealth Sleep Technologist Elena Mora-Derosby demonstrates how to administer an at-home sleep test at UCHealth Sleep Lab – Poudre Valley Hospital. These tests, whether done at home or in a sleep lab, diagnose sleep apnea and can be ordered by a primary care, heart or other doctor. Sleep apnea not only causes noisy snoring but also increases the risk for cardiovascular illnesses like hypertension, stroke, heart disease and cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than 10% of adults in the United States have diagnosed sleep apnea<\/a>, meaning they stop breathing multiple times every hour while they sleep.<\/p>\n

And there’s likely a significant undercount for the true toll of sleep apnea since medical experts estimate that more than 80% of people with the breathing ailment don’t know they have it.<\/p>\n

In addition to triggering exhaustion, sleep apnea can cause noisy snoring and increased risk for cardiovascular illnesses including hypertension, stroke, heart disease and cardiac arrhythmia, also known as an irregular heartbeat.<\/p>\n

To help you understand sleep apnea and potential treatments, we consulted with two sleep apnea specialists, Dr. Katherine Green<\/a> and Dr. Amy Schell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Katherine Green<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Green is the medical director at the UCHealth Sleep Medicine Clinic<\/a> on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a> as well as the UCHealth Sleep Lab in Central Park<\/a>. She’s also is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Green is an ear, nose and throat specialist \u2014 an otolaryngologist \u2014 who also has formal fellowship training in both sleep medicine and sleep surgery. She was the first surgeon in Denver to implant a device called Inspire<\/a> which is an alternative to using traditional CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines for obstructive sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

Schell is also an assistant professor of otolaryngology at the CU School of Medicine<\/a>. Like Green, she has formal fellowship training in both sleep medicine and sleep surgery.<\/p>\n

What is sleep apnea? I hear it\u2019s common, but many people don\u2019t know they have it.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cSleep apnea occurs when a person\u2019s airway closes and they frequently stop breathing during sleep,\u201d Green said. \u201cIt\u2019s normal for people to have occasional pauses in breathing during sleep, but people who stop breathing more than five times per hour have sleep apnea.\u201d<\/p>\n

The condition is quite common and, since apnea occurs while people are sleeping, many people don\u2019t realize they have it. And it can cause other health problems, Green said.<\/p>\n

What are the other health problems associated with sleep apnea? Why should I be concerned if I might have it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cSleep apnea prevents you from getting deep, healthy sleep. And it makes your heart work harder due to the lack of oxygen,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n

Untreated sleep apnea can also cause high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

When a patient repeatedly stops breathing, the body springs into action with a natural stress response. In addition to being exhausted, patients\u2019 hearts can be working overtime all night, responding every few seconds to a temporary loss of oxygen.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Amy Schell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe think about 15% of all cases of high blood pressure are due to sleep apnea,\u201d Green said. \u201cThe sleep apnea triggers your fight or flight response and you have all of this stimulation.\u00a0 Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and congestive heart failure. And, it increases the risk of sudden cardiac death during sleep or falling asleep while driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with physical problems, sleep apnea can leave people feeling hopeless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can affect mood and energy, leading to depression, anxiety, poor concentration and memory impairment. The poor sleep quality associated with sleep apnea also has direct effects on work or school performance,” Green said. \u201cThese are serious downstream effects of sleep apnea that we don\u2019t want to ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hear there are two types of sleep apnea. What are they and what\u2019s the difference?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are two types: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

\u201cObstructive is much more common and is caused by a blockage in breathing while a person is asleep, usually from the throat muscles collapsing and narrowing your airways,\u201d Green said. \u201cThese blockage events cause your oxygen to drop during sleep and disrupt your sleep quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Central sleep apnea is less common in the entire population. But it\u2019s more common at higher elevations than it is in people who live at sea level and lower elevations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially in Colorado, because of high altitude, we need to pay much more attention to central sleep apnea. The vast majority of sleep apnea cases in our country relate to obstructive sleep apnea. But up to 20% of sleep apnea cases at higher elevation are related to central sleep apnea,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n

Treatments vary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe basic CPAP machine may be ineffective for central sleep apnea,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

There are also surgical options<\/a> that are tailored to people with central sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

The causes of the two types of sleep apnea also vary. Central sleep apnea can afflict people who already have had a heart attack or a stroke. With central sleep apnea, the brain is failing to tell your body to breathe.<\/p>\n

Both obstructive and central sleep apnea can be severe, and both can lead to serious health consequences (see above).<\/p>\n

What are the common symptoms of sleep apnea?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe common symptoms that you or your partner should look for are snoring, gasping or choking in your sleep. All of these can be signs of underlying obstructive sleep apnea,\u201d Green said. \u201cIf you can fall asleep, but can\u2019t stay asleep, that may be a sign of sleep apnea.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also many symptoms people may experience when they\u2019re awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaking with a headache or waking up and not feeling refreshed or feeling tired throughout the day, even to the point of dozing off, all can be signs of sleep apnea,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n

How do you know if you have sleep apnea?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A simple at-home test can determine if you have sleep apnea. Green encourages anyone with concerns to get tested.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are doing all the right things and you don\u2019t feel refreshed by the sleep you are getting, or if you are having trouble staying asleep, it\u2019s time to talk to a sleep doctor,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n

Learn simple tips to improve your sleep<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s it like to do an at-home sleep test?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years ago, people who needed to be tested for sleep apnea had to spend a night at a sleep lab so experts could monitor them while they slept. Now, many monitoring devices are portable and most patients can do a sleep test at home.<\/p>\n

If you have the symptoms of sleep apnea, your doctor may arrange for you to get monitoring devices that will measure your breathing and heart rate overnight.<\/p>\n

While it may be awkward to sleep with these monitors for a single night, you should be able to get some sleep and the data that the monitors will provide to your doctor will be invaluable. The monitors make it possible for doctors to definitively determine whether or not you have sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

What if my partner snores a lot? Could they have sleep apnea?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. Many people who have sleep apnea snore, but there also are other causes of snoring aside from sleep apnea. Most people who snore have no idea that they’re snoring. Green encourages people to talk openly with their partners and to help them seek help if necessary. Snoring can be disturbing to a sleep partner. It also can be a sign of a sleep apnea or another health problem.<\/p>\n

How do you determine the severity of a person\u2019s sleep apnea?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sleep experts measure the severity of sleep apnea based on how many times a person stops breathing per hour.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to measure if someone has sleep apnea:<\/strong><\/p>\n