OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

TOPIC: Science & Tech

Context- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the medical condition which has been in the spotlight since BappiLahiri’s death.

Concept-

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA?

OSA is a disorder in which a person’s breathing stops and starts repeatedly in their sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when muscles in the throat and upper airway relax intermittently during sleep and block the airway.
It usually happens in obese men, less commonly in women but it does happen.
When a person is obese, they develop extra fat on their larynx and pharynx (muscles in the throat) that can close off their airway in sleep.
When no air enters the lungs, the oxygen saturation starts falling. When it is critical, the brain wakes the person up. They wake up subconsciously, the breathing restarts. And this cycle keeps repeating through the night.
Although the condition doesn’t kill by itself, it can lead to heart attacks and strokes due to the low oxygen level. In the long run, it can also result in increasing blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, and other metabolic disorders. It further leads to an increase in obesity, compounding the problem.
OSA also leads to a lot of road traffic accidents as people with OSA tend to doze off while driving.
It may also lead to depression.