1-2% of children suffer from sleep apnea, with symptoms including frequent bedwetting at night and two daytime effects

Dr. Wong Ka-fai explains that sleep apnea is a sleep disorder. Patients experience multiple episodes of breathing cessation and suffocation during sleep, leading to a decrease in blood oxygen levels. Patients wake up struggling after suffocation, and fragmented sleep affects their sleep quality. Due to suffocation, patients experience chronic hypoxia, which affects cardiorespiratory function and increases the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.

This disease primarily affects middle-aged men between 40 and 50 years old, with men being about 2 to 8 times more likely to develop it than women. In Hong Kong, approximately 4% of men and 2% of women suffer from this condition. Children can also develop this disease, with an incidence rate of about 1% to 2%. This is mainly due to structural problems such as enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or brain problems such as prematurity. Although sleep apnea is not hereditary, facial structure, such as jaw size, may be related to parents.

Causes nocturia at night and affects learning during the day

Dr. Wong stated that patients sometimes can hear their own snoring, which can also be reflected in sleep quality. If a person still feels tired or even has a headache after waking up in the morning, they may have sleep apnea.

Child patients may experience nocturia, be more active during the day, and have difficulty concentrating on learning.

Symptoms in adults include severe snoring with intermittent cessation, feeling tired after waking up, morning headaches, daytime sleepiness, nocturnal insomnia, inability to concentrate, decline in memory and cognitive function, impaired judgment, slow reactions, anxiety, and irritability.

Improve lifestyle habits to prevent it

To prevent sleep apnea, one must first improve lifestyle habits, develop good sleep habits, and have regular and sufficient sleep. Healthy eating and moderate exercise also help control weight.

For treatment, a polysomnography is generally performed. Sensors are connected to relevant parts of the body to analyze and diagnose the patient's sleep.

If sleep apnea is confirmed, mild cases can try sleeping on their side or using a dental splint to prevent the tongue from falling back and blocking the airway. The most effective treatment is using a CPAP machine, which uses air pressure to keep the airway open.

Surgery is generally for patients with structural problems, such as an elongated soft palate and uvula, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, deviated nasal septum, or nasal polyps.

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