Evie Summers
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep, causing you to stop breathing for 20 to 30 seconds at a time, numerous times throughout the night. This can cause loud snoring, daytime tiredness, and more serious problems like heart trouble or high blood pressure. Another condition that involves breath-holding during sleep is catathrenia, which is characterised by monotonous, irregular groans while sleeping. People with catathrenia hold their breath against a closed glottis, and then slowly exhale, often with a high-pitched squeak or groaning sound.
Characteristics of Holding Your Breath in Your Sleep
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Condition | Sleep apnea, Catathrenia |
| Description | Holding breath during sleep, followed by a slow exhalation with a groaning sound |
| Cause | Blocked airway (obstructive sleep apnea), brain failing to signal muscles to breathe (central sleep apnea), neurological or physical causes |
| Symptoms | Snoring, restless sleep, daytime fatigue, chest pain, sore throat, dizziness, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke |
| Diagnosis | Sleep study, audio/video recordings, tissue paper test, breath-holding manoeuvres, sleep testing |
| Treatment | CPAP, oral appliances, surgery, yoga, meditation, regular aerobic exercise, lifestyle changes |
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What You'll Learn
- Sleep apnea: a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep
- Catathrenia: a rare disorder characterised by groaning and breath-holding during sleep
- Obstructive sleep apnea: when airways become blocked or collapse while sleeping
- Central sleep apnea: when the brain fails to signal muscles to breathe during sleep
- Diagnosing sleep apnea: sleep studies track breathing patterns to diagnose sleep apnea severity
Sleep apnea: a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep. It can cause you to stop breathing for 20 to 30 seconds at a time, numerous times throughout the night. This happens either because of a blockage of your airway (obstructive sleep apnea) or because your brain doesn't control your breathing as expected (central sleep apnea). Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type. It occurs when the muscles in your throat relax, causing the surrounding tissue to press on your windpipe and block air movement. Central sleep apnea, on the other hand, is caused by issues in the respiratory control centre of the brain, which fails to send signals to the muscles to continue breathing during sleep. There is also a third, less common type of sleep apnea, called mixed or complex sleep apnea, which is a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea.
When you stop breathing due to sleep apnea, your oxygen levels drop, activating a survival reflex that wakes you up just enough to resume breathing. While this reflex keeps you alive, it also interrupts your sleep cycle, preventing you from getting restful sleep. Sleep apnea can cause loud snoring, daytime tiredness, and more serious problems like abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and headache syndromes. It can also increase your risk of sudden death, especially if left untreated.
The severity of sleep apnea is determined by the number of episodes per hour, with mild sleep apnea ranging from 5 to 15 episodes, moderate sleep apnea ranging from 15 to 39 episodes, and severe sleep apnea being more than 30 episodes per hour. If you suspect you may have sleep apnea, you should consult a healthcare provider, who may recommend a sleep study to characterise your breathing patterns while asleep. Treatment options depend on the severity of the condition and can include lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, smoking cessation, and treating nasal allergies, as well as other interventions like continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), oral appliances, and surgery.
It's important to note that sleep apnea is different from another rare condition called catathrenia, which is characterised by monotonous, irregular groans during sleep. People with catathrenia hold their breath against a closed glottis, but unlike sleep apnea, they usually don't experience oxygen desaturation, and their breathing rate remains slower.
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Catathrenia: a rare disorder characterised by groaning and breath-holding during sleep
Catathrenia is a rare sleep disorder characterised by groaning and breath-holding during sleep. The person with catathrenia holds their breath against a closed glottis, similar to the Valsalva manoeuvre. The disorder is distinct from sleep apnea and somniloquy (sleep talking). The moaning sound is usually not noticed by the person producing it but can be disturbing to sleep partners. The sound is typically a short or long vocalisation of the same letter, such as "a", "e", or "o", and may be accompanied by harmonics. The duration of the groaning sound varies from two to 49 seconds, and it appears more often during expiration REM sleep than in NREM sleep.
Catathrenia is not typically associated with oxygen desaturation, and patients usually sleep normally despite the sounds and the effort to breathe. However, some people with catathrenia have reported lucid or stress dreams during episodes, as well as a painful chest upon waking. Side effects may include a sore throat, fatigue, and dizziness. Observations have also been made of breath-holding during daily activities that require concentration.
The exact cause of catathrenia is unknown, and there are no clear predisposing factors or aetiology. However, many people with catathrenia report experiencing some form of stress or anxiety in their lives. Sleeping in a more upright position, performing regular aerobic exercise, and practising yoga or meditation focused on steady and regular breathing may help lessen catathrenia. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has also been found to be an effective treatment for catathrenia in some cases.
It is important to note that sleep apnea is a separate condition from catathrenia, although they may have some similar symptoms. Sleep apnea is a common disorder that causes the airways to collapse or become blocked during sleep, resulting in interrupted breathing. This can lead to serious health complications, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. If you suspect you or a loved one may have sleep apnea, it is important to consult a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
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Obstructive sleep apnea: when airways become blocked or collapse while sleeping
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep, preventing you from getting restful sleep. This can have an impact on both your physical and mental health. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. It occurs when the muscles in your throat relax, causing the surrounding tissue to press on and block your windpipe, thus blocking airflow. This can cause your diaphragm and chest muscles to work harder to open your airways, and you may start to breathe with loud gasps, snorting, or jerking movements.
OSA can cause you to stop breathing for 20 to 30 seconds at a time, numerous times throughout the night. This can lead to a reduction in oxygen flow to your vital organs, including your heart, and can result in abnormal heart rhythms. When you stop breathing due to OSA, the oxygen levels in your blood drop, triggering a survival reflex that wakes you up just enough to resume breathing. While this reflex keeps you alive, it also interrupts your sleep cycle and prevents you from getting restful sleep.
The repeated awakenings caused by OSA can lead to daytime tiredness and fatigue. You may feel less productive and more irritable, moody, or sad. OSA can also increase your risk of developing other serious health conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some headache syndromes.
If you suspect you may have OSA, it is important to seek medical advice. A healthcare provider can help diagnose and create a treatment plan to manage symptoms and prevent complications. Treatments for OSA aim to keep the airway open during sleep and can include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, oral appliances, and surgery. Lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, quitting smoking, and treating nasal allergies, may also be recommended.
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Central sleep apnea: when the brain fails to signal muscles to breathe during sleep
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep, preventing you from getting restful sleep. This can have a significant impact on your physical and mental health over time. There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in your throat relax, causing the airway to become blocked. Central sleep apnea, on the other hand, is when the brain fails to send signals to the muscles responsible for breathing during sleep.
Central sleep apnea (CSA) happens when the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing. This results in repeated episodes of disrupted breathing during sleep. CSA often occurs in individuals with certain medical problems, particularly those affecting the brainstem, which plays a crucial role in regulating breathing. Conditions such as brain infections, strokes, or issues with the cervical spine can contribute to the development of CSA.
The symptoms of CSA can vary depending on the specific parts of the nervous system that are affected. Some individuals may experience symptoms like snoring, snorting, or gasping for air during sleep. Others might exhibit restless sleep behaviours, such as tossing and turning, kicking, thrashing, or jerking. It is also common for people with CSA to wake up feeling unrested, with symptoms like a dry mouth, headache, fatigue, and mood swings.
CSA can be diagnosed through a physical exam and a sleep study, also known as polysomnography. This involves monitoring an individual's breathing patterns while they sleep, either in a specialised lab or at home. Healthcare providers may also use the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) to determine the severity of CSA, which measures the average number of breathing pauses per hour of sleep.
Treatment options for CSA aim to address the underlying causes and improve breathing during sleep. Devices like nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are often recommended to help keep the throat open and prevent breathing pauses. In more severe cases, a medical device called the remede System can be implanted in the chest to stimulate the nerve controlling breathing muscles when a pause is detected. Medications that stimulate breathing may also be prescribed in certain cases.
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Diagnosing sleep apnea: sleep studies track breathing patterns to diagnose sleep apnea severity
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep. It can cause you to stop breathing for 20 to 30 seconds at a time, numerous times throughout the night. This happens either because of a blockage of your airway (obstructive sleep apnea) or because your brain doesn't control your breathing as expected (central sleep apnea). The condition can cause serious complications and negatively impact your physical and mental health.
If you suspect you or a loved one has sleep apnea, you can help a healthcare provider diagnose it. Video and audio recordings of the person sleeping, especially where the provider can hear breathing, can give a provider key evidence to speed up the diagnostic process. You might also show evidence of air movement by holding a piece of tissue in front of the person's face to make this movement visible on a recording.
If you have symptoms of sleep apnea, your doctor may ask you to have a sleep apnea test, called a polysomnogram (PSG) or sleep study. This may be done in a sleep disorder center or even at home. A polysomnogram is a multiple-component test that electronically records specific physical activities while you sleep. The recordings are analyzed by a qualified sleep specialist to determine if you have sleep apnea or another type of sleep disorder.
During a sleep study, surface electrodes are put on your face and scalp to send and record electrical signals generated by your brain and muscle activity. Belts around your chest and abdomen measure your breathing, and a bandage-like oximeter probe on your finger measures the oxygen in your blood. Other tests that may be performed during a sleep study include EEG (electroencephalogram) to measure and record brain wave activity, EMG (electromyogram) to record muscle activity such as face twitches, teeth grinding, and leg movements, and EKG (electrocardiogram) to record heart rate and rhythm. These tests can help diagnose sleep apnea and determine its severity, allowing healthcare providers to create effective treatment plans.
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Frequently asked questions
Holding your breath in your sleep could be a sign of sleep apnea, a condition that affects your breathing while you sleep. It could also be a sign of a rare condition called catathrenia, which is characterised by groaning sounds during sleep.
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when your breathing stops and starts while you're asleep. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type, caused by a blockage in the airway when the muscles in your throat relax. Central sleep apnea (CSA) occurs when the brain doesn't send signals to keep the breathing-related muscles working.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, snorting, gasping for air, and restless sleep with tossing and turning. Sleep apnea can cause daytime tiredness, irritability, and mood changes. It can also lead to more serious problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and an increased risk of sudden death.
Sleep apnea can be diagnosed through sleep studies that track breathing patterns during sleep. Healthcare providers may also use the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) to measure the average number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour to determine the severity of the condition.
Treatment for sleep apnea depends on the severity of the condition. Mild cases may only require lifestyle changes such as weight loss, quitting smoking, or treating nasal allergies. More severe cases may require continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), oral appliances, or surgery.
