Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience difficulty breathing. However, the ability to breathe can even be more challenging if you have obstructive sleep apnea concurrently. Many people believe that COPD increases the risk of sleep apnea. However, some recent studies have found that the chances of getting sleep apnea are about the same whether you have COPD or not. However, if you have both conditions at the same time, you have to be aware how one affects the other, as well as, the steps you need to consider taking to alleviate breathing difficulties and make your life easier. So, let’s learn a little bit more about both conditions.

What is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease makes breathing difficult due to clogged or narrow airways. Both emphysema, which damages air sacs in your lungs and chronic bronchitis, ongoing inflammation in the tubes that bring air to your lungs, are conditions which are part of the COPD group. The main cause of COPD is usually smoking or breathing in secondhand smoke. The condition cannot be cured and it deteriorates over time. However, there are ways you can manage the condition and its symptoms.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition which triggers breathing stops briefly on and off during sleep. These breathing pauses might last only a few seconds, but many people tend to have these interruptions hundreds of times throughout the night. There are many causes for this breathing disorder and people who have the condition tend to snore and gasp for breath during the breathing breaks. One of the most common causes for OSA are the muscles in the back of your throat which relax too much during sleep and block the airway in your throat.

The Overlap Syndrome

When an individual has both of these conditions, it is known as the overlap syndrome. It has been estimated that 10-15 percent of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have overlap syndrome. Hence, if you have the overlap syndrome, you have higher chances of developing:

• Pulmonary hypertension, which means there is high blood pressure in your lungs’ arteries;
• Hypercapnia, the condition indicated too much carbon dioxide in your blood;
• Poor-quality sleep;
• Fatigue and increased daytime sleepiness;

Every person who has COPD faces many challenges when it comes to sleeping. The breathing process deteriorates when you lie down and your chest tightens. Having sleep apnea alongside COPD makes your quality of sleep poorer and you also might experience an urge to go to the bathroom throughout the night more often than usual.

Additionally, the overlap syndrome raises your chances of having life-threatening heart issues. Both conditions usually trigger high blood pressure, stroke, arrhythmia, or heart failure. The overlap syndrome can trigger heart problems, you should talk to your physician about how to manage the overlap syndrome.

How to Manage Overlap Syndrome?

If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you should keep your lungs working. But if you also snore or gasp for air during sleep, you should also get tested for sleep apnea too. Sleep apnea testing usually means you will either stay overnight in a sleep clinic or perform a home sleep testing.

If you are diagnosed with the condition, you will probably be recommended staring a continuous positive airway pressure therapy, or CPAP. CPAP is also a treatment which can be quite helpful for COPD.

Additionally, you can also manage your overlap problem if you follow these steps:

• Avoid alcohol before bed time
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise safely
• Sleep on your side

Remember that the fact you have COPD doesn’t mean you will also have sleep apnea. However, if you have both conditions at the same time, you should consult your doctor about how to manage both conditions.