Sleep Apnea | Rebranding | Psychology of Today

Over 900 million adults worldwide are estimated to have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (1). Over 30 million adults are affected in the US, but 80-90% remain undiagnosed (2). The effects of untreated sleep apnea include increased cardiovascular risk, diabetes, and problems with weight management. depressionexcessive drowsiness, drowsy driving, etc.

Why are so many patients not diagnosed?

1. There are no nonobese patients. OSA is more common in obese patients, but patients with normal BMI can still suffer from sleep apnea because:
   • Craniofacial differences
   • Nose passage or upper airway obstruction
   • Low muscle tension
   • Unstable ventilation systems or other respiratory disorders
   • Increased folding of the airways in relation to age
2. Women are overlooked. “Women with sleep apnea are less likely to report snoring and are more likely to show fatigue; insomnialeads to diagnostic delays” (Valipour et al., 2007). (3)
3. Who will catch them? I spent two hours in medical school teaching sleep medicine, so primary care sleep apnea screening training is limited. Most patients present with symptoms in primary care and sleep apnea is often overlooked because screening is inconsistent in this setting. (4)
4. The difference between minorities. African Americans are at a higher risk of sleep apnea and have a related, significant cardiovascular risk. However, access to healthcare, cultural Stigma Underestimation in sleep studies appears to contribute only to 5% of African Americans diagnosed with sleep apnea. (5)
5. Stigma. The known correlation between obesity and sleep apnea causes patients to not admit that they may be suffering from weight because they do not want to admit that they are snoring. In the sleep field, “psychophysiological” tasks (Moreso Psychophysiological) – insomnia – are very easy for patients to talk about, and the “medical” tasks of snoring are often rejected or difficult to support. Like other healthcare fields, it is an interesting uniqueness about the sleep field, with patients tending to believe they have physical or medical issues and they do not want to acknowledge mental health-related challenges.

• Craniofacial differences
• Nose passage or upper airway obstruction
• Low muscle tension
• Unstable ventilation systems or other respiratory disorders
• Increased folding of the airways in relation to age

“I don’t think it’s sleep apnea!”

The topic of snoring stigma often means that patients are more focused on insomnia complaints. In fact, sleep apnea can be a major problem. As a behavioral sleep medicine expert, I see patients who say, “I really don’t snore, I can’t sleep,” or “the research must be wrong,” when discussing the discovery of sleep apnea. Issues related to this rejection If a patient accepts and does not treat this diagnosis, it is about the effects of medical and quality of life.

It is important to note that unless the equipment monitoring the study is effectively intact and sleep is not captured for less than six hours, the study is likely to be indeed accurate. Whether the patient has insomnia or sleep quality appears to affect the night of the study, we can usually draw conclusions about the functioning of the airways and respiratory findings.

“I want a simple fix!”

Another challenge is that we live in a “quick fix” and “high-tech” society. Patients are looking for their own answers about health through technology and consumption Social Media. People have not relied on healthcare in the past, as it is easier to listen to podcasts with wellness influencers, and it is easier to listen to, either looking for sleep scores through consumer devices or grab “important takeouts” on Tiktok videos.

On the “Zig-Zag” patient’s journey to reach the sleep doctor, the patient has exhausted his patience! Society also “teases” the concept of wearing CPAP, making it look much worse than it actually is! Patients are too busy examining mouth taping and don’t know that the CPAP interface is always comfortable and easy to adjust. New therapies (e.g., neurostimulator therapy, oral instruments, GP1S, etc.) have emerged. They will eventually see the quick and available information they have access to and remain undiagnosed.

Rebranding sleep apnea

A related challenge is that somehow there is a “negative brand (!)” in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea. The reality is that we have consistently seen that when patients receive an appropriate diagnosis and engage in treatment, it can often change their lives. Patients have seen dramatically raise awareness, increase energy, improve mood control, and as a result, do better work, more work Productivityoverall health has improved. People who have been taking meth for years, or who think they’re depressed, are surprised at the way they really don’t have ADHD Or mood disorders; they just had unprocessed sleep apnea! Of course, it’s not always like this, but in many cases! So why not embrace opportunities to improve health outcomes and quality of life? Try screening to see if snoring means sleep apnea.

Test the hypothesis that taking the standard pathway of obtaining sleep studies and attempting the recommended treatment is valuable. In pursuit of stigma and quick revisions, remember that there are decades of research in sleep physicians and sleep medicine that support the currently utilised approach.

Take action

Do you feel it? sleepy? Has anyone ever said you snore? Learn to sleep!

Remember you are not sure if you snore or not – it is very rare to know that you snore. If you have a bed partner, let them observe that they snore. I don’t have a partner in my bed, but I’m sleepy during the day, I wake up with dry mouths in the morning, my morning headache, and I’ve been snored – study for sleep!