Are you curious about
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea
or
Central Sleep Apnea?
In this page you will learn all the information about sleep apnea disorder, including symptoms of sleep apnea, risk factors and treatments.
Question: What is Sleep Apnea?
To answer this question, please watch this video first:
Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing temporarily stops during sleep, because:
the tongue or other tissue block the back of the throat - obstructive sleep apnea.
the brain forgets to tell the breathing muscle to move, and thus the sleeper stops breathing for several seconds until he or she wakes up and starts breathing again - central sleep apnea.
there are brief periods of central sleep apnea followed by longer periods of obstructive apnea - mixed sleep apnea.
Many people with mild sleep apnea often have only a shallow breathing, called hypopnea. They should not ignore this symptom because it will worsen over time, with serious effects on their health and quality of life.
What are the Sleep Apnea Symptoms?
To understand better what is sleep apnea, you need to realize what happens with your body during sleep. So, when you are asleep, your muscles relax, the breathing slows, and your airway narrows slightly, but you continue to inhale and exhale steadily.
If for some reason the airway narrows completely, your breathing may cease altogether, forcing you to gasp for air and to wake up for a couple of seconds.
You might not realize, but snoring occurs when the airway is slightly narrowed. Keep in mind though that the airway is now smaller but still open, that's why you snore.
However, complete blockage of the airway during sleep is a serious disorder with serious effects on persons's health and quality of life.
Another sleep apnea symptom is extreme fatigue.Because the breathing problem cause you to wake up several times a night, you can suffer terribly from sleep deprivation.
So, be careful if you feel extreme fatigue during the day, because sleepiness can result in serious traffic and job accidents.
Although you may think that fatigue and sleepiness are almost the same thing, you will see a big difference in severe cases of extreme fatigue, like
chronic fatigue syndrome.
High blood pressure - people with sleep apnea show an increased risk of high blood pressure, and they are more frequently diagnosed with hypertension than their healthy companions.
Irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia is a very common symptom in severe sleep apnea.
The explanation of irregular heartbeat in sleep apnea is that with each episode of apnea, the heart rate falls, then increases again at the end of apnea.
Stroke - Sleep apnea has been associated with an increased incidence of heart disease and stroke. The main cause is the apneic episodes that appear in sleep apnea patients.
Even if you know what is sleep apnea, it still can be difficult to diagnose it. The symptoms of apnia disorder may be vague and subtle, and you need to pay attention to these signals.
For example, you may feel tired and sleepy during the day, even after what you thought to be a full night's sleep. Or, you may have a headache, feel irritable, and experience memory difficulties and problems with concentration.
Other subtle signals of sleep apnea can be depression, impotence or loss of sex drive, and anxiety.
The most common risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea are:
age and sex - sleep apnea is often encountered in middle age, and more likely to strike men than women.
an important risk factor in obstructive apnea is obesity. More than sixty percent of sleep apnea patients are overweight, so it should ring a bell to anyone who has body fat.
However, it is not the excess of the weight that triggers sleep apnea, but the neck size that counts. Here are some sleep apnea tips for you:
men with a neck circumference of 17 inches or larger,
women with a neck circumference of 16 inches or larger,
people with double chins,
people with a lot of fat at the waist,
are more likely to have their airway collapse while they sleep.
you should ask your parents if someone in the family have or had apnea disorder or snoring, because the genetic link is another risk factor for sleep apnea.
Relatives of those affected with sleep apnea tend to be more likely to have apnea and shallow breathing.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
If you think you may suffer from sleep apnea, you don't need to panic. There are treatments for sleep breathing disorders, and the future looks bright regarding
new treatments for sleep apnea.
You always hear this advice: talk to your doctor. I know that this expression is very annoying sometimes, but it definitely has an essence of truth. He should know better than anyone what is sleep apnea, and it's in your best interest to speak with your doctor about your symptoms.
And let me explain you why:
the doctor can help you investigate why do you have those symptoms.
it's difficult to diagnose sleep apnea just looking at someone. That's why your doctor may suggest that you spend a night in a sleep laboratory to undergo special testing.
the sleep technician will measure the amount of oxygen your blood is carrying through your body, which shows how much oxygen you inhale during sleep. The less oxygen in the blood, the more severe sleep apnea is likely to be.
the lab staff will also use polysomnography, to test your sleep.
once you know that you have sleep apnea and doctors have determined its severity, your doctor can decide the most appropriate treatment.
the sleep doctor is the most qualified person to tell you what is sleep apnea.
Your doctor will choose one of these treatments, depending on your problems:
If your main cause is obesity, the best cure for sleep apnea is weight loss, no doubt about that! But be sure to keep your weigh under control for a long term.
Do you think that your sleep apnea is not severe? In this moment you may feel lucky, but the severity of sleep apnea grows over time. That's why it's best to act now and treat your sleep disorder.
If you have only a mild or moderate apnea, you should try alternative cures for sleep apnea, where you don't have to spend a lot of money and still have your disorder cured.
However, not all the alternative treatments are effective for every patient. Remember my tip? Have a chat with your doctor, he should have some good advice for you.
Are you curious about
What are the Sleep Apnea Symptoms?
Sleep Apnea Treatment
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