What is Obstructive sleep apnea & COPD?

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea COPD The What
The correlation between respiratory and sleep
disorders has been a constant subject of debate
in the last few years. As sleep and breathing are
interdependent, therefore it is assumed that
their comorbidities also share a common ground.
The association between COPD (Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which is an
obstructive lung disorder and OSA (Obstructive
Sleep Apnea) which is a sleep breathing disorder
manifests itself as Overlap Syndrome in an
individual who is suffering from both these
disorders.
These individuals cannot rely on sleep to help
them recover or get relief from the symptoms of
these disorders. Individuals suffering from COPD
often have reduced levels of blood oxygen all
day, even while they are alert and breathing.
When they sleep, obstructions to their airways
caused by OSA can drastically reduce these
already low levels and become life-threatening,
depending upon severity.
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What are COPD and OSA? COPD(Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease) is a set of diseases in which
an individual finds it extremely difficult to
breathe due to narrowed or clogged airways. These
include Emphysema (damage to the air sacs in the
lungs) and Chronic Bronchitis (inflammation in
the tubes that bring air to the lungs). OSA
(Obstructive Sleep Apnea) is a condition in which
breathing briefly ceases throughout the night in
phases. Although each pause lasts only a few
seconds, many sufferers have dozens of these
interruptions each night. The most common cause
of OSA is the over-relaxation of the muscles in
the back of the throat, which tend to block your
airway. This condition often manifests in the
form of snoring. Many with sleep apnea tend to
snore a lot.
The overlap in these conditions When an
individual suffers from both COPD and OSA, this
condition is termed Overlap Syndrome. Over 10 of
the sufferers of COPD may develop overlap
syndrome. Overlap syndrome causes a twofold
problem for the sufferers. Not only do these
individuals suffer from elevated levels of
carbon dioxide in their blood at daytime when
they are up and about due to COPD, but they also
face the same problem due to OSA at night.
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• Health issues caused by Overlap Syndrome
• The combination of OSA and COPD raises the
  chances of the comorbidities of both these
  diseases. These include
• Pulmonary Hypertension (High Blood Pressure in
  the lungs).
• Fatigue (Reduced energy levels during the day).
• Hypercapnia (Increased levels of carbon dioxide
  in the blood).
• High blood pressure.
• Increased chances of developing arrhythmia
  (abnormal heart rhythms).
• Stroke.
• Heart failure.
• Managing Overlap Syndrome
• Managing overlap syndrome is possible using a
  combination of measures that are common to both
  OSA and COPD. These include
• Avoiding alcohol before bedtime.
• Maintaining your body weight.
• Moderate exercise (as much as possible without
  compromising your health).

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