Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are two different conditions that affect breathing. OSA is a common sleep condition characterized by repeated breathing interruptions during sleep due to collapsed airways, whereas COPD is a group of lung conditions characterized by breathing difficulties due to blocked airflow in the lungs.
In addition, both OSA and COPD result in sleep disturbances as the person isn’t able to breathe properly. And, although they are different, they can occur together which is known as overlap syndrome (OS). When this happens, they worsen each other’s symptoms and the person has an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart failure.
The Connection Between OSA and COPD
As already noted, both conditions affect breathing and the airways. According to research, inflammation contributes to both of them and they both cause breathing difficulties during sleep. What’s more, COPD negatively affects the way the body responds to reduced oxygen levels during sleep which contributes to worsened OSA episodes.
Also, statistics show that obstructive sleep apnea is quite common in people with moderate to severe COPD, i.e. they have overlap syndrome. So, how can we differentiate between COPD-related sleep disturbances and sleep apnea? Let’s find out the differences and similarities!
The Differences between OSA and COPD
Both OSA and COPD affect breathing and reduce oxygen levels even though they are two separate conditions.
To begin with, COPD includes many lung conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is characterized by damaged air sacs in the lungs that cannot function efficiently. Chronic bronchitis is characterized by inflamed bronchial tubes and mucus buildup. And, when they occur together, they narrow the airways and make breathing difficult even during the day.
On the other hand, OSA affects breathing only during sleep. In people with this sleep disorder, the muscles in the back of the throat relax which results in narrowed or completely closed airways, making breathing difficult. Hence, the brain alerts the person to wake up so they can breathe in again.
The Similarities between OSA and COPD
Once again, both obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affect a person’s ability to breathe normally and reduce oxygen levels in the blood.
OSA results in breathing interruptions during sleep which results in frequent awakenings, whereas COPD makes breathing difficult during sleep which makes falling or staying asleep difficult.
Furthermore, both conditions share some symptoms. For example, OSA and COPD can cause breathing issues during sleep, frequent night time awakenings, and extreme daytime fatigue and sleepiness.
Plus, they also have some risk factors in common such as smoking. Namely, about 85-90% of COPD patients develop the condition due to smoking. And, although smoking isn’t a direct risk factor for OSA, studies found that the sleep disorder is more common among those who smoke compared to those who used to smoke in the past or have never smoked.
Finally, studies show that both obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are more common in older people, i.e. the prevalence increases with age. And, both conditions are characterized by a slow symptom onset.
Final Thoughts
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are two distinctive conditions that affect breathing and result in sleep disturbances. They can coexist which is known as overlap syndrome (OS), but they don’t necessarily cause each other.