Fact: Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea involves short, repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, which is usually due to the tongue falling back into the throat and blocking the airflow.
There are two types of sleep apnea, of which obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. The other, central sleep apnea, is caused by the brain not being able to control breathing.
In obstructive sleep apnea, breathing pauses are usually 20 to 30 seconds long, but can sometimes last for about a minute.
To count as so-called apnea, a pause in breathing must be at least ten seconds long.
The pauses in breathing disturb sleep and the short-term effects include daytime fatigue and reduced ability to concentrate. It is common for sleep apnea to be linked to snoring.
Sleep apnea is a risk factor for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, such as stroke. Daytime fatigue also increases the risk of traffic accidents and workplace accidents.
Source: Heart-Lung Foundation, 1177
Those who suffer from moderate to severe sleep apnea are usually treated with a so-called CPAP device, which, when you sleep, blows a weak stream of air into the throat through a mask and keeps the airways open. During the pandemic, however, there has been a global and national shortage of the devices because there has been a lack of components, especially semiconductors, for production.
— We have approximately 500 desperate patients who suffer from sleep apnea who have not been given access to machines. These are not local problems, but the whole world has had problems, says Lars Johan Vestlinder, specialist nurse at the sleep apnea clinic in Sundsvall.
— But the problem right now lies more in the fact that we have a very long queue to graze from, he adds.
Waiting time of 18 months
Region Stockholm also testifies to a lack of devices as a result of the pandemic. This summer it also became known that tens of thousands of respirators in the country had to be repaired or replaced, after it was found that they were at risk of leaking foam plastic, which further affected the delivery rate.
At Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, a queue has built up of around 900 normally prioritized patients with a waiting time of around 18 months.
— We have significant problems, I would say. There are many CPAPs missing and we have many patients on the waiting list in need of it, says Charlotte Widell, operations manager for pulmonary medicine and sleep medicine at the hospital.
The Västra Götaland region has urged patients who have the devices at home, but who do not use them, to return them so that they can be used again.
Several risk factors
In the long run, untreated sleep apnea is, among other things, a risk factor for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. In a shorter perspective, the patients suffer from daytime fatigue and reduced ability to concentrate, which can increase the risk of accidents in traffic or at work.
This means that certain groups, including professional drivers, are given higher priority by healthcare and receive their treatment more quickly. In Sundsvall, they try to get priority patients in within two weeks by using used machines.
— You shouldn’t lose your income just because you don’t have a snore machine. Others can suffer all sorts of agony because you don’t sleep peacefully at night and are so tired during the day that you can barely keep your eyes open, says Lars Johan Vestlinder.