Explain the phenomenon of lack of oxygen when sleeping (2024)

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Hypoxia during sleep is a phenomenon of decreased oxygen and increased CO2 in the blood. Anyone can develop hypoxia during sleep. People with sleep hypoxia syndrome, if not diagnosed and treated promptly, will lead to systemic hypoxia and cause a series of metabolic disorders such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, and embolic stroke. brain, brain hemorrhage... even sudden death.

1. What is lack of oxygen when sleeping?

Lack of oxygen during sleep is a phenomenon that causes a decrease in oxygen and an increase in CO2 in the blood. It will activate sympathetic nerve causing vasoconstriction, increase heart rate leading to hypertension, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. The risk of death and hypertension increased as the total number of episodes of sleep apnea per hour increased. The higher the number of sleep apnea episodes, the higher the risk of cardiovascular disease.
People with sleep hypoxia may not know their sleep is disrupted. In fact, many people with this phenomenon still think they slept well all night.

2. Causes of lack of oxygen during sleep

Anyone can develop sleep hypoxia, although it usually affects older adults more. It is also especially common in people who are overweight. Treatment for obstructive sleep apnea may involve using a device to keep the airways open or undergoing a procedure to remove tissue from the mouth, nose, or throat. Causes of hypoxia during sleep are:
Due to weight: More than half of people with obstructive sleep apnea are overweight. Fat in the upper airways can interfere with breathing. However, not all people with sleep apnea are overweight and vice versa. Thin people can also develop these disorders Due to neck size: The size of the neck can indicate whether or not there is a risk of sleep apnea, as a thick neck can narrow the airways and is an indication for sleep apnea. see excess weight. Neck circumference greater than 17 inches (43 cm) for men and 15 inches (38 cm) for women is associated with an increased risk of obstructive sleep hypoxia Hypertension : Relatively common sleep hypoxia in people with hypertension Narrowed airways: May inherit a naturally narrow throat or nasopharyngeal tonsils which may enlarge and block the airway Chronic nasal congestion: Lack of oxygen during sleep frequently occurs in people with people with nasal congestion at night and twice the incidence in people with chronic stuffy nose. This may be due to narrowing of the airways Diabetes: Sleep deprivation is three times more common in people with diabetes It occurs two to three times more often in adults over 65 years of age. The risk of hypoxia during sleep increases after menopause. Smoking also increases the risk of hypoxia during sleep by almost three times

3. Signs of lack of oxygen when sleeping

Some common signs in people with lack of oxygen when sleeping are:
Snoring: This is a common sign of people with lack of oxygen when sleeping. In addition, accompanied by snoring, snoring, shortness of breath, and choking sound. Fatigue all day: People who are deprived of oxygen when sleeping are often tired, have difficulty concentrating at work, impaired memory and temperament. change, irritability, daytime sleepiness: This is one of the hallmarks of sleep hypoxia syndrome. Drowsiness during the day reduces the quality of work, easily causes traffic accidents and labor accidents... Headache when waking up: Regularly feeling headache every morning when you wake up may be due to apnea syndrome when you wake up. induced sleep. It is caused by changes in oxygen levels in the brain during the night. People with hypoxia during sleep, if not diagnosed and treated promptly, will prevent air from entering the lungs to exchange oxygen, causing systemic hypoxia affecting blood vessels in the heart, lungs, kidneys, Pancreas, brain... From there, it causes a series of metabolic disorders, high blood pressure, affecting blood vessels in the brain, blood vessels in the heart and throughout the body leading to high blood pressure, a risk of disease coronary artery, cerebral blood vessel, can have myocardial infarction, stroke due to cerebral embolism, cerebral hemorrhage,...
Therefore, lack of oxygen when sleeping in the long term will seriously affect health and risk of sudden death. In the short term, lack of oxygen while sleeping will also affect concentration in study, work and labor, especially can cause hyperactivity in young children, causing danger when participating in traffic.

4. Treatment of hypoxia during sleep

With mild degree: Mainly change lifestyle, lose weight, use pillows to avoid snoring, sleep on the side, avoid alcohol, tobacco, sedatives. The jaw lifter can be attached to the mouth with the effect of bringing the lower jaw forward, increasing the space of the pharynx and the back of the tongue, reducing the collapse of the pharynx to avoid hypoxia during sleep. Normal: Some patients are treated according to the method of nasopharynx and uvula if the cause of hypoxia during sleep is due to structural abnormalities in the ENT region. At that time, the patient will have the tonsils, uvula and posterior palate removed to treat the disease With severe severity: Breathing continuous positive pressure during sleep with a ventilator (CPAP), attached with a nasal mask or a mouth mask , is indicated for the consultation cases of moderate and severe sleep apnea. Ventilators will help open and prevent upper airway collapse, reduce daytime sleepiness in almost all patients, and improve hypertension and nocturia.

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