Everything You Need To Know About Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea causes breathing pauses throughout the night and a lot of other complications. Learn about it and treat it on time!
The repeatedly starting and stopping of breathing is a condition that leads to not enough oxygen, which causes a person to wake repeatedly during the night.
A major symptom of sleep apnea is extreme tiredness even after a full night of rest and loud snoring. Other symptoms of this condition include:
- Waking up with dry mouth;
- Insomnia;
- Hypersomnia;
- Difficult time paying attention.
This is a scary disorder because the person sleeping randomly stops breathing, leading to night sweats and constant awakening throughout the day. This can last anywhere from a few seconds to minutes and happen 30+ times per hour.
Imagine suffering from sleep apnea – or if you already do – you know that this disorder can leave you feeling sleepy, cranky, and it can affect your relationship with your partner.
In this guide, you will learn more about this condition and ways to treat it.
Sleep apnea is a serious disease and it should be treated accordingly.
Types Of Sleep Apnea
If you suffer from this condition you first need to find out the type of apnea you are facing. There are 2 types: obstructive and central.
1. Obstructive Sleep Apnea
This type is the more common kind and is caused by a blockage of the airway. This results in constantly waking up throughout the night, loud snoring, and pauses in breathing.
2. Central Sleep Apnea
This type is completely different than Obstructive Sleep Apnea and refers to someone who’s brain fails to signal the muscles necessary to breathe properly. This happens when there is instability in the respiratory control center.
A combination of both obstructive and central is known as complex sleep apnea and a majority of the time, the person suffering from it doesn’t even know they have it. A spouse or loved one usually notices it as the person is asleep.
Sleep apnea can affect any age group and any sex. The good news is, it can be reversed with proper treatment!
Risk Factors And Complications
So, who is at risk? We mentioned that anyone could suffer from this condition. However, there are some definite red flags that you need to be aware of.
While this disorder can happen to anyone, it’s much more common in middle age or older adults.
Consequently, males are more likely to experience symptoms and the more obese you are, the higher your chances for having obstructive sleep apnea.
Medication and alcohol use is also something to be aware of as it can cause sedation that can interfere with sleep, in most cases the inability to awaken.
There are also complications associated with sleep apnea, such as:
- Daytime fatigue;
- Increased risk for accidents;
- High blood pressure;
- Difficulty concentrating;
- Chest pain or heart attack;
- Brain damage;
- Loud snoring;
- Can contribute to anxiety.
If you suffer from this disorder, it’s important you seek help.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
The first thing you need to do is visit a sleep medicine specialist to talk about your options. They may recommend you to:
- Use essential oils, adjust your sleep position, etc.
- Avoid alcohol and certain medications.
- Exercise if you’re overweight, or even receive dental devices that will help you sleep thoroughly.
But the most effective treatment the specialist will recommend is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure).
CPAP machines overcome the pauses of breathing during the night so that the patient can sleep peacefully and get a good nights rest. It achieves this by delivering pressurized air through a mask.
Without a doubt, this is a difficult condition to live with. If you believe that you or someone you know suffers from sleep apnea, we highly encourage you to seek help.
Sleep apnea is an uncomfortable disorder not only for you but for your partner as well. Seeking help from a medical provider and investing in a CPAP or similar treatment is a great start.
