When talking of sleeping difficulties, many people immediately think of insomnia. There is another sleeping disorder just as common but often goes undiagnosed called sleep apnea.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common condition where you have shallow breaths or breathing pauses that can last from a few seconds up to a couple of short minutes while sleeping. A collapsed or blocked airway and enlarged tonsils are the primary causes of this condition.

Even though normal inhaling and exhaling usually starts again after these pauses, sleep is normally disrupted as they can occur up to 30 times an hour. When your breathing becomes short or pauses, you are taken out of a deep sleep and into light sleep.

This results in disturbed sleeping patterns and can in turn make you tired and tired during the day.

Because the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea only happen while sleeping, most people who have it do not know that they do. Routine visits to the doctor or lab tests can't help diagnose this problem. It is only when a roommate or family member notices the signs when sleep apnea is diagnosed.

Types of sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. It occurs when the soft tissue in the back of your throat relaxes during sleep and blocks the airway, often causing you to snore loudly.
Central sleep apnea is a much less common type of sleep apnea that involves the central nervous system, occurring when the brain fails to signal the muscles that control breathing. People with central sleep apnea seldom snore.
Complex sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea When Left Untreated

When undiagnosed or left untreated, sleep apnea can increase the risks of the following conditions:

Heart failure
Arrhythmias
High blood pressure
Stroke
Obesity
Diabetes

Untreated sleep apnea can also increase the risk of having driving or work-related accidents.

Treatment of Sleep Apnea

This sleeping disorder requires long-term management. One of the best remedies of sleep apnea is CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure.

CPAP uses mild air pressure to keep the collapsed airway open and allow air to flow freely while you sleep. This type of treatment involves the use of a machine, aptly called the CPAP machine, which has 3 main parts:

A mask that is placed over your nose or mouth. The mask comes with straps to hold it in place when being worn.
A tube that connects the mask to the CPAP machine's motor.
A motor that blows air into your nose or mouth via the tube.

CPAP machines are commonly lightweight, compact, and fairly quiet. The noise they produce is usually soft and rhythmic to induce sleep.

Apart from the consistent use of a CPAP equipment, lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, or surgery can effectively treat sleep apnea in many people.