Sleep Apnea Threatments

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder wherein a person stops breathing or experiences shallow breaths while sleeping. It is potentially dangerous because the duration of each apnea can occur not just for a few seconds but may sometimes last for 30 minutes or even more than an hour. Normally, breathing resumes with a choking sound or a loud snort.

Types of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea has three distinct types namely obstructive, central and complex.

For the case of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the interruption of breathing is caused by a physical blockage of the airway. It is the most common type of sleep apnea and usually affects overweight people. But anyone, even children, can also suffer this sleeping disorder.
For central sleep apnea (CSA), the effort to breathe is absent or diminished in cycles. It is a term used in referring to periodic breathing and Cheyne-Stokes respiration. It usually happens when the brain fails to send the right signals to the muscles responsible for breathing. This type of sleep apnea is less common.
For complex sleep apnea, a change from the features of central to obstructive types of sleep apnea is observed during the episodes. It is commonly referred to as mixed sleep apnea.
Signs and Symptoms

The major symptoms include loud snoring, long pauses in breathing, gasping, snorting or choking during sleep and extreme sleepiness during daytime even after spending a long time sleeping.

The other common symptoms include morning headaches, nighttime awakenings or insomnia, fitful or restless sleep, waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth, feeling out of breath upon waking up, frequent urinating during the night, depression, moodiness or irritability, difficulty in concentrating and forgetfulness.

Diagnosis

Most cases of sleep apnea go undiagnosed for years because it cannot be detected during ordinary consultations with doctors nor identified with blood tests. The only way to diagnose this sleeping disorder is thru a sleep study called polysomnogram which is conducted with an overnight sleep test.

People with sleep apnea are seldom aware of this sleeping disorder even after they wake up. Almost always, the problem is identified by another person who gets to witness any episodes due to the physical manifestation during sleep. But for people who sleep alone, the condition may get more info go unnoticed for years because no one will be able to observe the symptoms.

Treatment

For mild cases of apnea, simple behavioral changes may be the solution to the problem. Most doctors recommend sleeping on the side and losing weight. There are also devices that can be used to retain the tongue from falling back, elevate the soft palate and bring the jaw forward.

For moderate to severe apnea cases, a machine called C-PAP or continuous positive airway pressure blows air into the nose using a nose mask, therefore keeping any obstructions out of the way. A Bi-level or Bi-PAP machine is also available for more severe apnea. Air is blown into the nose at two different pressures, higher for inhaling and lower for exhaling.

Conclusion

Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous condition when left untreated. It can be life threatening because those who are undiagnosed of having this sleeping disorder may not be aware of the condition and may suffer serious consequences. In fact, studies have shown that people suffering from sleep apnea are more prone to car accidents resulting to personal injury. For more information Click Here Sleep Apnea

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *