UARS and Upper Airway Obstruction: How They Affect Sleep
You may spend a full night in bed and still wake feeling exhausted. Daytime fatigue, morning headaches, trouble concentrating, and restless sleep can have many causes. One possibility is that your upper airway is narrowing during sleep and making breathing harder.
Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) is a sleep-related breathing disorder. The airway may become narrow without closing completely, so you may not have the obvious breathing pauses or oxygen drops associated with some cases of obstructive sleep apnea. Your body may still work harder to breathe, causing brief awakenings that interrupt restorative sleep.
What is Upper Airway Obstruction During Sleep?
The upper airway includes the nose, mouth, tongue, jaw, and throat. As muscles relax during sleep, the airway can narrow. Nasal congestion, the shape of the jaw or palate, enlarged tonsils, and other factors may contribute.
When airflow is restricted, your body may briefly arouse from sleep to help reopen the airway. You may not remember waking, but repeated disruptions can leave you feeling unrefreshed.
UARS and Sleep Apnea: What’s the Difference?
UARS and obstructive sleep apnea both involve restricted airflow during sleep. With sleep apnea, breathing may partially or completely stop, sometimes with drops in oxygen. With UARS, airflow may be limited while breathing effort increases, triggering brief sleep disruptions without meeting standard criteria for an apnea or hypopnea.
Symptoms can include:
Persistent fatigue or daytime sleepiness
Waking without feeling rested
Frequent awakenings or restless sleep
Morning headaches or dry mouth
Trouble concentrating or changes in mood
Teeth grinding or jaw tension
These symptoms don’t confirm UARS on their own. A sleep specialist can assess your symptoms and determine what evaluation is appropriate.
How is UARS Diagnosed?
Some home sleep apnea tests may not capture every brief arousal or measure brain activity and sleep stages. When symptoms continue despite a negative or inconclusive home test, ask a sleep specialist whether more detailed testing may be appropriate.
An in-lab sleep study can record sleep stages, airflow, breathing effort, oxygen levels, heart rhythm, and arousals. In some cases, additional measurements may help evaluate airway resistance and breathing effort.
What Treatment Options May Help?
Treatment depends on the cause of airway narrowing, your symptoms, and your test results. A personalized plan may include positive airway pressure (PAP), a custom oral appliance, positional therapy, treatment for nasal obstruction, or coordination with other specialists to address anatomical factors.
There isn’t one treatment that works for everyone. A sleep specialist can help identify the problem and discuss options based on your needs. CSMA evaluates sleep-disordered breathing for patients in Houston, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Austin, and nearby communities.
If you regularly wake tired, have ongoing sleep disruptions, or still have symptoms after a prior sleep test, consider speaking with a sleep specialist. Contact CSMA to schedule an evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions About UARS
Can you have UARS without snoring?
Yes. Some people with UARS don’t snore loudly or consistently. Ongoing fatigue, restless sleep, or morning headaches may still be worth discussing with a specialist.
Can UARS affect you if your oxygen levels look normal?
Yes. Oxygen levels may stay relatively stable while increased breathing effort and brief arousals disrupt sleep.
Can a home sleep test detect UARS?
Some tests may identify signs of abnormal breathing, but many don’t measure sleep stages or directly capture arousals. A sleep specialist can advise whether additional testing is appropriate.
What is the best treatment for UARS?
There is no single best treatment for every patient. Options depend on the cause of airway narrowing and the results of a clinical evaluation.
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