Hypopnea Vs Sleep Apnea: What Is the Difference?

Both hypopnea and sleep apnea are breathing problems related to sleep disorders, but they are different conditions. Hypopnea happens when airflow during sleep drops by 30% from normal. In this condition, breathing becomes shallow for about 10 seconds. Although the airway is partially blocked, it does not fully stop breathing or cause choking, but it can still be a concern.

Sleep apnea vs hypopnea, however, is more serious. It completely blocks the airways, stopping breathing for 10 seconds or more while sleeping, which can be life-threatening. For both conditions, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is often the first treatment option for mild to moderate cases.

What Is Hypopnea and Its Types?

Although the names of the types of both events might sound similar, it is different in the process.

Hypopnea can be broadly classified into three types:

• Central Hypopnea is when the airflow gets reduced, and the breathing process slows down.
• Obstructive Hypopnea- It particularly affects the process of airflow and does not have any impact on breathing.
• Mixed hypopnea is a combined condition of both central hypopnea and obstructive hypopnea.

It depends on the AHI index as to which category it will fall into.

What Are the major symptoms of Hypopnea?

There are certain alarming signs noticed in the early stages, which can give rise to much more complicated ailments. If you notice any one of the following signs, you must immediately report to a doctor. Those are -

• The body feels extremely tired and they have an unusual tendency to sleep during daytime.
• They get headaches as their sleep gets frequently disrupted, and they wake up in the middle of the night due to shortness of breath.
• They snore while they are asleep.
• They feel a lack of energy due to insufficient sleep.

There are even more symptoms that happen based on the severity of the Hypopnea.

How often should one have apnea-hypopnea disorder?

Based on the rate of the event happening, the severity is decided. Therefore, it can be considered as mild if the AHI (Apnea-Hypopnea Index) is between the range of 5 to 15.

If the range exceeds 30, it is moderate, whereas if it falls under the category of severe apnea.

The Sleep Apnea Hypopnea syndrome is determined using the Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI). It concludes on average the number of apneas, hypopneas, and sudden nighttime awakenings due to arousal of respiratory track-related issues.

Causes of Hypopnea

Some internal and external factors work as the underlying issue altogether and give rise to these things. They are:

• Age- We often notice that with increasing age, the problem increases. Mostly, we see people who are middle-aged or senior citizens having this problem more than young adults, and it is least observed among adolescents.
• Weight- It is an important factor behind this condition. Having extra fats around your neck will create blockage and interrupt the airflow,
• Smoking or consuming alcohol is very risky for people suffering from Hypopnea.
• Heart or Kidney Disease- People who have major diseases relating to the heart and kidney are more prone to have fluid buildup in their necks, causing difficulty in breathing.

Although certain things like age are not in your control, we can voluntarily control other factors like weight and alcohol intake in order to stay away from such conditions.

What is sleep apnea, and what are the types of sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea has two major types. It is a slightly more severe case as compared to Hypopnea-

• Obstructive sleep apnea happens to block the upper airways multiple times during sleep, and it happens due to many factors like obesity, hormonal changes, enlarged tonsils, etc.
• Central Sleep apnea is where the brain controls the airways and chest muscles, and the brain, unfortunately, does not send the signals to breathe.

What are the major symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

The major symptoms of sleep apnea are -

• Loud snores- Although snoring is quite common in both situations, the intensity of loud snoring is even more in the case of sleep apnea.
• Short of breath- Sleep apnea is far more dangerous than Hypopnea as it involves full blockage of the airways, hence complete cessation of breathing.
• Irritability- It causes immense irritability and anger issues.
• Gasping of air- Due to total blockage of airways, a person might need immediate medical help for oxygen.

Causes of Sleep Apnea

Some major causes behind the issue are as follows-

• Anatomical Abnormalities- A sudden change or abnormality is noticed, and an abnormal morphology follows changing color, size, for,m, and consistency.
• Obesity- Excessive weight can be fatal as it even poses a life threat.
• Genetics- Family background always plays a vital role in this, where the genes carry the legacy.

Although the causes can differ from person to person, each of those scenarios requires the utmost medical attention.

Treatments for Hypopnea and Sleep Apnea

With the evolution of the medical field, there are a number of treatment options available for people suffering from Hypopnea and sleep apnea.

Weight loss

This is the most simple yet very efficient technique. It is a form of self-treatment and awareness by controlling our diets and frequently exercising. It results in a great improvement in sleeping cycles and breathing cycles. However, if the condition is extremely severe, then weight loss alone cannot help, as it is a lengthy procedure and cannot give immediate relief.

Bariatric Surgery

Although this is a very effective treatment, the results may vary depending on the person's medical history and several other factors. Hence, one should have an open discussion before surgery. The success rate is reported as 86%, 57%, and 45%.

Positional sleep therapy

It is a very advanced therapy for which patient's backs need to be covered. This is because it has been researched that due to sleeping in that position, apnea has a greater chance of happening. Positional therapy has improved the Epworth Sleepiness Score.

Oral appliances

These appliances are last-minute resorts and are to your rescue because they help pull the jaw or tongue forward while someone sleeps. It is the first line of therapy that opens the airway, mostly the velopharyngeal area. It can treat mild to moderate sleep apnea cases but in severe cases, one must take the doctor's help.

Myofunctional therapy

The process involves stimulating the tongue electrically or playing certain wind instruments and having several rehearsed speech therapies. It blocks the passage allowing clear airflow. Reports revealed that myofunctional therapy reduced AHI by 50%.

Conclusion

Before diving into the differences, get a complete overview of common sleep disorders. Although the treatments and diagnosis are related to each other Hypopnea and Sleep apnea are different than each other. While one causes partial blockage of airflow, which is Hypopnea, the other blocks the passage entirely, resulting in a stoppage of breathing, which is Sleep apnea. One should never ignore early signs and symptoms since while one is in mild and moderate apneas and hypopneas, it is still curable, but in extreme fatal situations, it can't be cured.