Does your partner keep leaving for the guest bedroom because of your thunderous snoring? Don’t call the divorce lawyer. Instead, consider calling your doctor.

Dr. Daron Kahn, a pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist at Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center, says you could be suffering from sleep apnea, a serious but treatable condition.

Sleep Apnea Awareness Month in March is the perfect time to learn about this often-overlooked disorder. Sleep apnea affects approximately 30 million Americans, yet only 6 million are diagnosed. That means millions are suffering needlessly.

“A lot of people come in with their bed partner, who reports loud snoring or pauses in breathing,” explained Kahn. “Others say they never feel refreshed. They sleep all night and wake up still tired.”

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea occurs when breathing repeatedly stops during sleep, for 10 to 30 seconds or more at a time. These pauses can happen multiple times per hour, sometimes over 100 times per night in severe cases. With obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, throat muscles relax and block the airway.

“When you fall asleep, your airway relaxes,” Kahn explains. “It can narrow to restrict airflow or close and collapse, obstructing airflow.”

Sleep specialists measure severity using the apnea-hypopnea index, which counts breathing disruptions per hour. Disruptions between five to 15 are classified as mild, 15 to 30 as moderate and anything above 30 as severe.

Are you at risk?

Weight is the biggest risk factor for sleep apnea, though anatomy and genetics can play a part. “Extra fat tissue can be hidden anywhere in the body, including the back of the throat,” says Kahn. “That can make that space narrow enough to close.”

Along with snoring, breathing pauses and persistent tiredness, other common symptoms include:

• Gasping or choking during sleep
• Teeth grinding
• Morning headaches
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Depression, irritability and trouble concentrating

Symptoms don’t always correlate with severity. “We see people with mild sleep apnea who have horrible daytime sleepiness and people with severe sleep apnea who feel fine,” Kahn says.

What are the health effects?

Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems.

“The biggest health concern is cardiovascular disease,” warns Kahn. “It also increases your risk for hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.”

That’s because when breathing stops, oxygen levels drop. “Your lungs can’t put oxygen into the blood, so your organs can suffer tissue damage,” he explains.

Sleep apnea can also trigger an inflammatory surge throughout your body, which can lead to:

• Increased risk of type 2 diabetes
• Worsening of chronic pain syndromes
• Eye diseases, including retina problems and glaucoma
• Weight loss resistance
• Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)

How is it diagnosed?

Diagnosis involves a sleep study, which can be performed in a lab or at home.

“The gold standard is an in-lab sleep study where we monitor your brain activity, breathing and movements overnight,” said Kahn. “For people without significant comorbidities, home sleep studies work just as well. They monitor chest movement, blood oxygen levels and airflow.”

How is it treated?

If a sleep study shows you have sleep apnea, healthy lifestyle changes can be effective. These include:

• Regular physical activity
• Losing weight
• Limiting alcohol and caffeine
• Quitting smoking
• Sleeping on your side instead of your back

There are several types of PAP (Positive Airway Pressure) devices:

• CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure): Delivers positive pressure through a mask to keep the airway open.
• Auto-PAP (Auto-Adjusting Positive Airway Pressure): Adapts to individual needs and adjusts pressure levels throughout the night.
• BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure): Delivers two levels of pressurized air, one on inhale and one on exhale. Kahn says it works for those who can’t tolerate a CPAP, and for those with central sleep apnea, where the airways are open, but the brain and lungs aren’t communicating correctly.

Other treatments include:

• Oral appliance therapy: “These custom-made dental devices look like retainers that push the bottom jaw forward, creating space in the back of the throat,” says Kahn. These work best for mild to moderate sleep apnea.
• Inspire therapy: This implantable device functions like a pacemaker for the tongue. “With each breath while you’re asleep, it sends a signal to the tongue muscle to push forward and open the airway,” Kahn explains.
• Surgical options: Surgical procedures can address anatomical causes of obstruction.

When should you seek help?

Kahn says he often sees patients with hypertension or atrial fibrillation.

He recommends evaluation for anyone suffering with:

• Loud, persistent snoring
• Breathing pauses during sleep
• Daytime fatigue despite adequate sleep
• Difficulty controlling blood pressure or heart problems

Treatment can be life-changing, Kahn stresses: “We’ve had people who couldn’t get through their workday without naps and needed 12 cups of coffee daily. After CPAP, no more naps, less coffee and improved heart function.”