What are the features of OSA:
Little would we have thought that snoring would end in anything more serious than a minor tussle with the bed partner. Various studies have now revealed that snoring which is the most common manifestation of OSA have linkage with hypertension, arrhythmias, heart attack, IHD stroke. It is for this reason that one should know the symptoms relating to and all the consequences that this syndrome can produce.

You should remember that symptoms rarely appear before 20 apneas events occur per hour of sleep.

Why in sleep?
There are basically two types of sleep. NREM ( Non Rapid Eyeball Movement ) sleep and REM ( Rapid Eye Movement ) sleep. It is in REM sleep that we dream. NREM sleep is further classified into 4 stages I, II, III and IV. Stage III and IV of NREM stages are called slow wave sleep or Deep sleep. We spend most of our first half of sleep in III and IV NREM and second half in REM sleep. The refreshing effect the night's sleep provides us is entirely determined by the adequacy of NREM III and IV stage and REM sleep.

When some one has sleep apnea, while sleeping as he goes from stage II NREM to stage III NREM, he gets into apnea. Due to cessation of airflow, oxygenation falls, his heart will be under strain. Only way he can stop this apnea is by arousing, that is to get back to stage I NREM. Arousal is the only defence for them. Such Arousals can happen even upto 60 times / hour of sleep and this leads to fragmentation of his sleep.

As the patient goes for apnea, he can not breath, oxygen does not enter his system and he can have cardiac and neurological problems. As the patient get repetitively aroused, he develops hypertension.

As his sleep is ineffective it would amount to not sleeping well and hence he has excessive day time Somnolence.

The consequences of untreated sleep apnea are far reaching and frightening. Research has indicated that upto half of patients with heart attack and 60 % of patients with strokes ( resulting in hemiplegia ) have sleep apnea as a contribution to their condition that frightening is'nt it.