#Let’s Talk Sleep Apnea. This is the digital awareness campaign launched by ResMed, a connected health player, on March 17. The latter is broken down into three 20-second spots, each of which highlights one of the specific symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAS). The goal ? Encourage patients to get tested by their doctor. “It is estimated that nearly 80% of people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS) would go undiagnosed,” the company said in a statement.
As part of their campaign, it provides an online questionnaire on its site that allows you to assess your sleep. This is can be done in less than three minutes and can tell if a person is suffering from symptoms suggestive of sleep apnea. “At the end of the evaluation, people detected at risk will receive an email with the results, which they can share with their attending physician”says ResMed.
Sleep apnea: breathing pauses of 10 to 30 seconds
As a reminder, this disorder is observed not only in adults, but also in children and adolescents. It becomes more common with age and it is estimated that 30% of people over the age of 65 have it. This syndrome is characterized by the occurrence of abnormally frequent episodes of interruptions (apneas) or reductions (hypopneas) of breathing during sleep. These breathing pauses, lasting 10 to 30 seconds and occurring at least 5 times per hour of sleep, are accompanied by a drop in oxygen levels. “In practice, obstructive apnea is caused by a relaxation of the muscles of the upper airways in a horizontal position, which generally leads to snoring and prevents the passage of air.”
What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?
During the day and night, the symptoms of this syndrome are manifested by drowsiness, snoring, a feeling of suffocation, altered mood, headaches, fatigue or even a drop in morale. . These different manifestations disrupt the quality of sleep, which is no longer deep, and generates stress for the heart and the brain. This leads to irritability, an increase in road accidents and also has an impact on social relationships. Over the long term, sleep apnea can also cause the development or aggravation of cardiovascular and metabolic pathologies.