While allergic rhinitis is manifested by sneezing, runny nose, itching and congestion, it can also present with sleep apnea complaints.
Since sleep apnea causes many health problems such as heart attack or stroke in the brain, it is very important to diagnose it.
After recognizing the relationship between allergic rhinitis and sleep apnea, it should not be forgotten that it is necessary to investigate and treat allergic rhinitis among the causes of sleep apnea.
Is there a relationship between Allergic Rhinitis and Sleep Stopped Breathing (sleep apnea syndrome)?
Allergic rhinitis presents with sneezing and nasal discharge, itching and congestion. Especially nasal congestion can cause extremely important problems for patients. Nasal congestion can be seasonal with pollen in the spring, or it can be year-round with house dust molds and pet allergies such as cats and dogs.
Sleep apnea can be defined as snoring during sleep and respiratory arrest during sleep. It can occur for many reasons, but allergic rhinitis can be overlooked among them. The relationship between allergic rhinitis and sleep apnea has been shown in many studies.
How does sleep apnea occur in patients with allergic rhinitis?
With the arrival of spring, complaints of allergic rhinitis occur, and sleep disorders such as snoring and breathing cessation are also seen in these patients.
In general, people with allergic complaints experience a disturbance in their sleep patterns. The logic is as follows: Allergens cause nasal congestion in allergic people. It can cause nasal congestion, dry mouth or narrowing of your airway. This is manifested by enlarged adenoids, which we see more often in children, and narrowing of the upper airways in adults. As a result of all these, apneas can be seen at night when breathing stops. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is seen as nocturnal breathing, disrupts sleep patterns. Therefore, if ongoing allergic reactions prevent you from sleeping, sleep apnea syndrome (sleep apnea syndrome) due to allergies should come to mind.
Although seasonal or year-round allergic diseases are known to cause serious problems such as asthma, allergic rhinitis can also cause sleep disorders if not treated properly.
What is the symptom of sleep apnea due to allergic rhinitis?
Sleep apnea can occur for many reasons. In sleep apnea caused by allergic rhinitis, allergic complaints, namely nasal discharge itching, congestion, postnasal drip, sneezing, itching in the eyes can be seen. In addition, if allergic asthma has developed, shortness of breath, cough, wheezing may occur. Apart from this, the most important symptom seen in sleep apnea is the cessation of breathing during sleep.
Other symptoms of sleep apnea:
Restlessness during sleep, Snoring, Frequent urination, Sweating, Dry mouth, Reflux can be counted.
In patients who cannot get enough sleep at night, headache, forgetfulness, and concentration disorder are seen as a result of this. When it continues for a long time, depression, inability to wake up vigorously and actively in the morning, being extremely sleepy and fatigue are the daytime symptoms seen in sleep apnea.
How is sleep apnea due to allergic rhinitis diagnosed?
Sleep apnea testing is required to diagnose sleep apnea. For the sleep apnea test called polysomnography, an environment is created in a specially created hospital room where brain activity and respiratory events are recorded all night long.
Allergy testing is required by allergists to detect allergens that cause allergic complaints. The most used tests to diagnose allergies are skin prick tests. Apart from this, allergy screening tests made from blood can also be used to diagnose allergies.
How is sleep apnea due to allergic rhinitis treated?
Misdiagnosed and untreated allergy rhinitis and asthma symptoms can cause sleep apnea, which can progress to life-threatening heart disease.
Studies have shown that cessation of breathing during sleep increases the risk of heart attack and can lead to important cardiovascular problems such as congestive heart failure and stroke in the brain. The risk of heart strain increases due to congestion or wheezing, which causes difficulty in oxygenating the body, and accordingly, it can trigger a heart attack.
In the treatment of sleep apnea, it is necessary to eliminate the first causes. If it has developed due to anatomical stenosis in the upper respiratory tract, the patient should be evaluated for surgical intervention by an otolaryngologist.
In the treatment of advanced sleep apnea, positive air pressure (CPAP) therapy should be applied. CPAP treatment applied without controlling allergic complaints reduces the chance of success. It is recommended to perform CPAP treatment with a mask that covers the whole face, especially in sleep apnea associated with allergic rhinitis.
If it has developed due to allergies, it is necessary to detect the allergens that cause allergies, and accordingly, a correct allergic rhinitis and asthma treatment to be applied by allergy specialists is required. Allergic rhinitis can be treated with allergy vaccines (immunotherapy) administered by allergy physicians.
In conclusion
Although allergic rhinitis most commonly causes asthma, it can also cause sleep disturbances.
Sleep apnea, which develops due to nasal congestion caused by allergic rhinitis, manifests itself as snoring and respiratory arrest during sleep
Polysomnography is used in the diagnosis of sleep apnea. Allergy tests should also be done to show that it is due to allergies.
A complete success cannot be achieved in the treatment of sleep apnea without treating allergic rhinitis.
Allergy vaccines are extremely important as a result of tests performed by allergy specialists for the treatment of allergic rhinitis.
