The most widespread form of sleep apnea is referred to as obstructive sleep apnea and is a disorder marked by periods in which breathing ceases while you are sleeping. Sometimes this medical condition is referred to as sleep apnea syndrome or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
In healthy people the muscles that work the upper portion of the throat ensure that the air flow into and out of the lungs is both steady and continuous. While you sleep these muscles relax slightly but nevertheless still do their job satisfactorily. However those people who suffer from sleep apnea generally have airways that are narrowed for one reason or another and therefore when the muscles relax the airway partially or completely closes thereby preventing the passage of air to the lungs. Labored breathing and snoring leading to a sleep apnea episode will then result.
In some people breathing can also stop altogether during periods of deep sleep and researchers and medical experts are not sure about just why this occurs. These times during which breathing stops can last for as long as ten seconds or more in severe cases and are referred to as apneic events or sleep apnea episodes.
These sleep apnea episodes lead to an awareness that you have ceases breathing and you subsequently struggle to start breathing again which is normally accompanied by choking, gasping or even snorting.
Thereafter you normally settle into a period of light sleep before the cycle of sleep apnea episodes returns.
The result is that an individual suffers from fragmented sleep which does not allow them to enjoy amount of rest which they need on a nightly basis. This in turn leads to a host of health problems one of which is excessive daytime tiredness. One reason for this daytime symptom is the fact that the level of oxygen in the blood stream falls significantly during an apneic event resulting in a condition called hypoxia.
It is very important to be aware that many people who suffer from sleep apnea are not aware that they have a problem and normally it is left to others to point out the problem. Sufferers are frequently aware of how excessively tired they are during the day but do not necessarily know why this is so.
The commonest warning signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring, waking in the morning and still feeling tired, headaches in the morning, difficulties with memory, alterations in personality, falling asleep at inappropriate times, hypertension, hyperactivity (in children only) and swelling of the legs.
The first step in diagnosing sleep apnea ought to a trip to your doctor who will take a full medical history and look at your mouth, throat and neck for any signs of growths or abnormalities. If sleep apnea is suspected your physician will refer you for a sleep study and what is called a polysomnogram (or PSG). This test records eye movement, brain waves, breathing rate, muscle activity, heart rate, oxygen levels in the blood and the quantity of air that is being inhaled and exhaled while you are sleeping.