This Wednesday, through a statement, the White House reported that President Joe Biden suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, a common disorder that occurs when breathing is interrupted while sleeping.
Biden’s condition was revealed after the United States president appeared before the press that same day with strange marks on both sides of his face.
The journalists asked the White House about those marks and one of the spokesmen for the presidential mansion, Andrew Bates, explained that the marks were due to the fact that Biden had used a continuous pressure machine in the respiratory tract the night before (CPAP mask, for its acronym in English) for the sleep apnea that you suffer.
What is obstructive sleep apnea, a condition suffered by President Joe Biden
Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes people to stop breathing, on average for 10 seconds or more, while they are asleep.
It is estimated that at least 25 million American adults and 936 million adults ages 30-69 worldwide may suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, with many more going undiagnosed.
There are 2 types of apnea: central and obstructive. The latter occurs when there is a blockage of the airways due to weak, heavy or relaxed soft tissues.
Generally, in the elderly, muscle tone is weakened, including that of the white palate and neck, making obstructive sleep apnea common in this sector of the population. Various studies have found that sleep apnea in the elderly tends to be mild to moderate in type, with the most severe cases occurring at younger ages.
This condition causes people who suffer from it to have several “microarousals” during the night that interrupt the body’s ability to complete a full sleep cycle. The Mayo Clinic indicates that some symptoms of this condition are: excessive daytime sleepiness, loud and shrill snoring, waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat, and morning headaches.
How is sleep apnea treated?
Most patients are unaware that they have this condition, so it is important that their families talk to them when their snoring is extremely loud or if they stop breathing for short periods of time at night.
In case you present these 2 signs, you must seek a sleep specialist to make the correct diagnosis.
One of the most common treatments is a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine, which relies on a hose and mask to deliver constant, constant air pressure to keep the airway open while the person sleeps. Today, the machines are so sophisticated that a doctor can remotely monitor a person’s sleep and help them adjust the air pressure.
Some cases of sleep apnea may improve with “positional therapy,” meaning sleeping on their sides instead of their backs, which may improve airway flow and reduce snoring.
If the condition is caused by anatomical issues, such as nasal polyps, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or a deviated septum, contributing to apnea, surgery is recommended.
Doctors may also prescribe an oral appliance designed to enlarge the airway by moving the tongue or jaw forward.
If not properly treated, obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and even early death, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Keep reading:
* Short naps bring multiple benefits to the brain
* “Divorce of beds”: What it is and why every day there are more couples sleeping apart
* What is the mysterious “sleep paralysis” and why it occurs