Sleep apnea : a danger for the whole family

isomorpho/epictura

Published the 20.10.2017 at 08: 00

A A

Keywords :

apnea sommeilsommeilfatigue

France has 15 million snorers, of which 3 million are suffering from a disease which requires 600 000 of them to spend their nights wearing a mask connected to a respirator. In the child, this would be 5 % of them that would be affected.

What is sleep apnea ?

This disease, which has all the characteristics of a real public health problem and that, surprisingly, speaks little, is called sleep apnea. Large snorers who stop suddenly to breath, keep the mouth open for a few seconds, and then resume loudly their snoring.

In some cases, this shutdown will occur two hundred times per night, for 45 seconds : two and a half hours without breathing, which explain the fatigue the next day. Apneas are now a serious cause of heart disease, and road accidents by slumber, the third cause after the speed and the alcohol. A German study has made use of a simulator, a kind of video game that allows you to put in condition to conduct monotonous for 60 minutes, with an average speed virtual of 100 km/h, with climatic conditions and obstacles varied. The results show, first, that the apnéiques non-treated have on average close to 3 accidents in these sessions conduct simulated, and that 13 time, they have committed a fault of concentration.

It is simple to know if one suffers from sleep apnea, first of all if one has the chance to live as a couple. Then, these apneas affect almost exclusively overweight people with enlarged tonsils. In the case of being overweight and abnormal fatigue, especially in the afternoon, it is necessary to record his sleep, during a night in the hospital, to have the certainty of the diagnosis.

There are no medications to fix the problem

A weight loss is the first thing to do, but it is often difficult to obtain.

In children, it can sometimes propose to remove these tonsils are too big (one surgically removes the tonsils and adenoids).

In the adult, the only treatment is to wear the night time a nasal mask attached with straps, connected to a small machine. The compressed air that you breathe in can help prevent the walls of the back of the throat come together and result in a respiratory arrest. The sleep becomes quiet, thanks to this machine, which ensures a flow of continuous air. The German study has investigated the effects on driving. And the results are clear : not only the attention, and the alert level has improved in 6 weeks, but more importantly, driving performance preceding these improvements. The frequency of accidents decreases dramatically from the beginning of treatment, less than 1 crash in 42 days, as one of the faults of concentration, less than 5 instead of 13 before treatment.

Poorly accepted in the beginning by the patients, it soon becomes indispensable. About the lives of the couple, which is often the first brake to the decision, it is important to know that the machine is much less noisy than the snorers. Most of the time, these nights without sleep are reflected, moreover, when it is possible, the traditional house of the sixties who, it not more, is not conducive to the life of a couple. A apnéïque is someone who is tired ; so poor companion. A few nights spent connected to the machine are usually sufficient to give a certain effect !

As with all medications, this machine can be partially reimbursed by health Insurance. The application is carried out by the doctor who prescribed the machine. The refund can only take place if the device is used every day and if the treatment proves to be really effective.

The device can be connected to a position of “tele observance” which will allow to know the hours of operation, and therefore to decide on the continuation of the refund. The first practical illustration of the medicine responsible for tomorrow ?