What to Do About Anxiety When Sleeping with Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a relatively common type of sleep disorder in the population, since it is estimated that it affects around 10% of people. In fact, it is especially common among the elderly, since in older people, the prevalence percentage rises to approximately 30%.

But just because it is a very general alteration does not mean that we should assume that it is normal and it is not advisable to do anything about it; Today there are effective ways to treat it to prevent sleep apnea from damaging our quality of life in a significant way, and in this article we will focus on those that have to do with the management of anxiety, which can be both a cause and a consequence of this problem.

What are the causes of sleep apnea?

Specifically, sleep apnea consists of an alteration through which, while we sleep, there comes a point where air stops reaching the lungs for excessively long periods of more than 10 seconds.

This interruption of air entry through inspiration can be total or partial; In the latter case, this phenomenon is usually called hypopnea. AND When the body notices that it lacks oxygen, brain activity is altered and we enter a state of greater activation than normal to intervene urgently and breathe again, something that usually causes us to wake up every time this happens. As a consequence, we sleep little and poorly.

In most cases, the causes of sleep apnea are several factors combining together, some of a psychological/behavioral nature and others of an organic/biological nature. Thus, a distinction is made between obstructive apnea, in which a temporary collapse of the upper airway occurs (a part of the tissue lowers or becomes too flexible, narrowing the space available for air to flow); central apnea, in which the central nervous system stops issuing the command to breathe for a while; and mixed apnea, in which both things occur. Obstructive apnea is by far the most common type.

On the other hand, it should be said that stress and anxiety play a relevant role in many cases of sleep apnea. When we accumulate stress and anxiety at levels that exceed what is mentally healthy, a series of changes occur in both the activation patterns of the brain and the respiratory tract: we tend to keep our muscles more tense than normal, which can promote snoring and interruption of the flow of air entering.

Why is it important to take socks for sleep apnea?

People who suffer from sleep apnea and who have not started any type of treatment experience various forms of discomfort, both physical and psychological. This is due to poor sleep quality that is a consequence of sleeping difficulties; Even if they do not remember it, the person wakes up several times throughout the night due to the lack of air reaching their lungs, and even when they sleep, does not spend enough time in each of the sleep phases because the activity of the nervous system is affected by these difficulties in breathing well.

Thus, the lack of adequate rest generates a feeling of fatigue, difficulties concentrating on tasks, memory problems (transitory), and also makes the person more exposed to anxiety and stress, all of which are common symptoms. of sleep disorders. But in addition, sleep apnea has other harmful consequences in the area of ​​physical health, especially in the medium and long term (while the psychological effects are noticeable on the first day).

Specifically, it tends to increase the risk of cardiovascular problems: contributes to raising blood pressure and increases the chance of strokes. It also influences the risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction and headaches, and can lead to lower libido.

How can it be treated by intervening in anxiety?

The most effective biomedical treatment for sleep apnea is based on the use of the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine.

It is a type of relatively small and very silent electronic device that allows you to regulate the pressure level of the air supplied by the respiratory tract and the level of humidity (thanks to the humidifier that most of these machines have integrated). But in more extreme cases, it is recommended to undergo surgery.

However, as we have seen before, treating stress and anxiety can also help enjoy longer, more restful sleep. Let’s look at some of the most useful strategies to achieve this.

Do you want to have psychological assistance?

If you are interested in having professional psychological support, I invite you to contact me.

My name is Thomas Saint Cecilia and I am a psychologist who is an expert in intervention from the cognitive-behavioral model, with which I work helping people, families and companies. I can offer you my services in person or online by video call.