Sleep apnea: Do everything possible to sleep well

You snore? Tired on awakening? You often drowsy during the day, even while driving? You may be affected by the syndrome of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Sleep apnea affects mostly overweight people. It is also favored by excess (food and drink) and medications (tranquilizers and soporific). The upper airways of victims of sleep apnea are periodically blocked during their night.

Their breathing stops briefly. The concentration of oxygen in their blood decreases. These patients are waking up repeatedly, without conscience. The screening is based on a sleep recording (polysomnography), in a hospital or at home. If OSAS is diagnosed, the treatment is ventilation by continuous positive airway pressure (CPP) through a mask worn at night.

Sleep apnea has many health implications, including cardiovascular desease. Now, researchers at the Laboratory of Physiology of Perception and Action (CNRS/College de France) and University of Amsterdam have shown that during sleep the brain replays the events of the day.

While we're sleeping, neurons in the brain are constantly active to levels comparable to those observed during wakefulness, they explain. This activity is of paramount importance: during the night, our brain subconsciously rearranges our memory, to allow its stabilization and a long-term storage of information. Hence you need to do everything possible to sleep well.

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