Lying beside your spouse you noticed how the noisy snoring is stopped by sudden gasps for air. The next day, your partner complains about headache, feeling of fatigue, and being really sleepy at work. Next bedtime, you observe the same patterns and you grow curious. Observe your partner well. He or she might already be suffering from sleep apnea, a common sleeping disorder with life-threatening results.
Sleep apnea, as mentioned, is a disorder, which is characterized by pauses in breathing while a person is asleep. Many people abruptly wake up when sleep apnea happens because waking up is the brain's way of rebooting the entire breathing system.
When the brain detects that there is an imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body, it will instruct the muscles handling the breathing mechanism to breathe. If there are obstructions along the airflow, there may be difficulty in breathing and sleep apnea may take place.
This disorder often entails breathing stops of about 10 seconds or more while the person is sleeping. Experts say, it doesn't happen once or twice but sometimes over 300 times a night. The person may not feel every episode unless he gets awakened because he can't breathe. The effects will only be felt during the day when the person feels really tired, as if he lacked some sleep.
There are so many symptoms related this sleeping disorder but not all who manifest these symptoms have it. Although you may not have this disorder, it is still best for you to consult with a doctor when any or all of these are being observed.
"Person can't get to sleep well or his restless when he's asleep. "There is very loud snoring that suddenly pauses, then the person gasps for air. "Person suddenly wakes up gasping for air. "Uncontrollable sleepiness during the day when driving, while watching TV, or working. "Headaches in the morning "Sore throat or dry mouth in the morning "Feeling weak "There is loss in concentration or focus "Easily gets irritated "Becoming very forgetful about things "Abrupt changes in behavior or moods "Feelings of anxiety and depression "Becoming obese "Decreased sexual drive
Immediate detection of sleep apnea can help treat it early so as to prevent bigger health problems like hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, impotence, memory loss, mental dysfunctions, or even death.
For mild symptoms, there are self-help remedies that can help:
-Lose weight if overweight -Keep away from alcoholic beverages, tobaccos, or sleeping pills, which contribute to air blockage since the tongue and throat will become too relaxed -Sleep on the side and not on the back. -Create a regular sleeping pattern. Establish good bedtime hours to eliminate disturbances to sleep.
For more advanced cases of sleep apnea, the following are most commonly used treatments:
-Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), which is a mask worn to bed to prevent obstructions in the air passage. This device costs around $1000 but prove to be very effective when used properly by the patient
-Dental apparatus or oral devices to help adjust the lower jaw and the tongue positions so that the airway will open. These are simpler to use compared to the CPAP but they cause soreness and damage to the jaw, teeth, and mouth in general.
Sleep apnea literally means ?sleep without breath? and can result from respiratory muscle weakness (known as central sleep apnea) or a blockage of the trachea, or airway (known as obstructive sleep apnea.) Obstructive sleep apnea is much more common than central sleep apnea and can be caused by a variety of factors including obesity, congestion in the throat, tonsillitis or mononucleosis. If the obstruction is big enough and the sufferer cannot breathe properly, there is a chance for sudden death from obstructive sleep apnea.
People who suffer from central sleep apnea have brain respiratory control centers that are imbalanced when they are sleeping. The brain doesn't react fast enough to maintain a proper balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood. This causes the body to stop breathing until the levels are balanced again. Fortunately, the effects of central sleep apnea rarely cause sudden death in those who suffer from it.
If this symptoms sound familiar, see your doctor. He will be able to perform a battery of tests to determine what type of sleep apnea you have and can prescribe effective sleep apnea treatments. When you visit your doctor, he will most likely conduct Polysomnography, or sleep study tests.
Once your doctor has determined what type of sleep apnea you have, he will recommend sleep apnea treatments. There are a variety of ways to treat sleep apnea, including:
* Diet and Exercise Changes: Diet and exercise can have a big impact on your weight, which can, in turn, reduce your body fat and reduce your risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
* Lifestyle Changes: Alcohol, sedatives and other types of medications can relax the body and cause too much relaxation. If the muscles relax too much, the body won't breathe properly. Avoiding those as much as possible will help alleviate that risk.
* Changes in Sleeping Habits: If you sleep on your back, it is more likely that you will suffer sleep apnea. Try to sleep on your sides to keep the airways open as much as possible. There are pillows that you can buy that will prevent you from rolling on to your back while asleep.
* Dental Devices: Dentists can give you certain sleep apnea treatments to help you prevent sleep apnea. These include tongue restricting-devices and devices that keep your mouth open to let air flow freely.
* Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP): These sleep apnea treatments involve wearing a mask over your nose that is hooked to a machine that delivers a set level of air pressure to prevent the airway from collapsing. These devices are very effective for sleep apnea treatments. However, these machines are bulky and it is hard to sleep while wearing one.
* Surgery: Surgeries are sleep apnea treatments that are commonly conducted in people who have obstructive sleep apnea. In surgery, the doctor will remove any part that can obstruct the airway. The tonsils, uvula or soft palate are common parts that are removed.
As you can see, there are a variety of sleep apnea treatments. The important thing is that you seek treatment early to avoid continued sleeping problems. You don't have to suffer from this alone!
Both Robert Melkonyan & Rory Herts are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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