Sleep Apnea Overview
Sleep apnea is characterized by way of having pauses in breathing while in sleep.
In many occasions it also exhibits itself as shallow breathing.
Despite being quite common it can be an extremely dangerous medical condition.
Sleep Apnea Types There's 2 main forms of sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea is induced as soon as your air passages becomes impeded, typically due to your throat muscle tissue becoming relaxed while sleeping.
Central sleep apnea is brought on when your brain ceases to send the correct signals to your muscles that handle breathing.
There is also a 3rd significantly less common type called complex which is a mix of both obstructive and central.
Sleep Apnea Signs & Symptoms The signs and symptoms will differ depending on what variety you suffer from & how severe your unique case is.
That being said there are usually some signs & symptoms that overlap between obstructive & central.
The most common are: excessive tiredness during the day, dry mouth, night time urination, mood swings, frequent brief awakenings & loud snoring.
Some of these are indicators and or symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring and shortness of breath, whilst others such as learning difficulties and mood swings are actually as a result of the limited and/or poor quality sleep affected individuals get.
Treatment For Sleep Apnea Before seeing your doctor regarding treatment solutions, it is advised that you try some simple lifestyle changes.
The ones that have been shown to have the most benefit are, losing excess fat, stopping cigarette smoking and sleeping on your side instead of your back.
In the event that the signs or symptoms still persist, see your doctor.
They are most likely going to suggest you have a sleep study so they can get the full overview of how you sleep.
This consists of being absolutely hooked up to many monitors that keep track of things like your o2 levels and brain wave frequencies.
Once your sleep study is completed your doctor will be able to give you a much better idea of your treatment solutions.
The most common are using machines to keep your airways open while sleeping; the most common is labeled CPAP.
This is an acronym for continuous positive airway pressure.
Surgery is another option depending on your specific case with the removing of inflamed tonsils and adenoids being a common procedure.
Complications Of Sleep Apnea A variety of complications can arise if sleep apnea is left untreated, the most common are outlined below Cardiovascular problems: When your oxygen levels decrease because of breaks in inhaling and exhaling your blood pressure will increase which will cause strain on your heart & cardiovascular system.
Individuals who suffer are 2 to 3 times more likely to have hyper tension compared to the general population.
Surgery Complications: OSA can cause difficulties when you have a general anesthesia as you are more susceptible to breathing problems.
This is particularly an issue after recovering from surgical treatment as you are sedated and also on your back.
Day time tiredness: Due to waking up frequently during the night time your body is not in a position to go through all of its sleep cycles, this results in fatigue.
A person might frequently find yourself falling asleep while at work or watching Television.
Tired Partners: Because of your continuous waking up, your spouse is much more likely to be awoken from their own sleep.
You're also more likely to loudly snore & abruptly wake up which can make falling asleep and staying asleep extremely difficult.
Like all medical problems, in the event that you feel a person has sleep apnea make sure you make an appointment to see your local medical doctor to discuss the problem.
The advice provided earlier mentioned is supposed to be a general overview only and ought to not be used as an alternative for professional medical advice.
In many occasions it also exhibits itself as shallow breathing.
Despite being quite common it can be an extremely dangerous medical condition.
Sleep Apnea Types There's 2 main forms of sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea is induced as soon as your air passages becomes impeded, typically due to your throat muscle tissue becoming relaxed while sleeping.
Central sleep apnea is brought on when your brain ceases to send the correct signals to your muscles that handle breathing.
There is also a 3rd significantly less common type called complex which is a mix of both obstructive and central.
Sleep Apnea Signs & Symptoms The signs and symptoms will differ depending on what variety you suffer from & how severe your unique case is.
That being said there are usually some signs & symptoms that overlap between obstructive & central.
The most common are: excessive tiredness during the day, dry mouth, night time urination, mood swings, frequent brief awakenings & loud snoring.
Some of these are indicators and or symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring and shortness of breath, whilst others such as learning difficulties and mood swings are actually as a result of the limited and/or poor quality sleep affected individuals get.
Treatment For Sleep Apnea Before seeing your doctor regarding treatment solutions, it is advised that you try some simple lifestyle changes.
The ones that have been shown to have the most benefit are, losing excess fat, stopping cigarette smoking and sleeping on your side instead of your back.
In the event that the signs or symptoms still persist, see your doctor.
They are most likely going to suggest you have a sleep study so they can get the full overview of how you sleep.
This consists of being absolutely hooked up to many monitors that keep track of things like your o2 levels and brain wave frequencies.
Once your sleep study is completed your doctor will be able to give you a much better idea of your treatment solutions.
The most common are using machines to keep your airways open while sleeping; the most common is labeled CPAP.
This is an acronym for continuous positive airway pressure.
Surgery is another option depending on your specific case with the removing of inflamed tonsils and adenoids being a common procedure.
Complications Of Sleep Apnea A variety of complications can arise if sleep apnea is left untreated, the most common are outlined below Cardiovascular problems: When your oxygen levels decrease because of breaks in inhaling and exhaling your blood pressure will increase which will cause strain on your heart & cardiovascular system.
Individuals who suffer are 2 to 3 times more likely to have hyper tension compared to the general population.
Surgery Complications: OSA can cause difficulties when you have a general anesthesia as you are more susceptible to breathing problems.
This is particularly an issue after recovering from surgical treatment as you are sedated and also on your back.
Day time tiredness: Due to waking up frequently during the night time your body is not in a position to go through all of its sleep cycles, this results in fatigue.
A person might frequently find yourself falling asleep while at work or watching Television.
Tired Partners: Because of your continuous waking up, your spouse is much more likely to be awoken from their own sleep.
You're also more likely to loudly snore & abruptly wake up which can make falling asleep and staying asleep extremely difficult.
Like all medical problems, in the event that you feel a person has sleep apnea make sure you make an appointment to see your local medical doctor to discuss the problem.
The advice provided earlier mentioned is supposed to be a general overview only and ought to not be used as an alternative for professional medical advice.
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