Sleep Apnea Information
ABOUT SLEEP APNEA
Apnea is a word that means unable to breathe or without breath. There are three types of sleep apnea with the most common being obstructive apnea. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer. This results in poor sleep quality that makes them tired during the day. Sleep apnea usually is a chronic condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights each week, and is one of the main causes of chronic daytime sleepiness. In our discussion of chronic insomnia, it should be understood that sleep apnea is different than the type of conscious sleeplessness in that the person with apnea does not know that their sleep is being interrupted by lack of oxygen.
According to the National Institutes of Health sleep apnea affects millions of Americans. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. This means that the airway has collapsed or is blocked during sleep. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but it can affect anybody. The blockage may cause shallow breathing or breathing pauses. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to over a minute. They often occur 20 or more times per hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.
DIAGNOSIS OF SLEEP APNEA
Generally diagnosis of sleep apnea involves family doctors (general practitioners) determining the primary diagnosis based on various factors including a complete physical and standard sleep studies. If it is determined that sleep apnea may be the cause based on a set of factors determined by the initial exams, the family doctor may refer the patient to a sleep specialist. Sleep specialists are doctors whose specialty is diagnosing and treating people with chronic sleep disorders. Exams, from start to finish may very well be detailed and extensive. Many people find these exams to diagnose sleep apnea invasive and overwhelming to the point that they discontinue them before their sleep disorder treatment can be established with certainty. But for many, finding relief is paramount and if they stay with the initial and specialist exams, they can find relief and begin to live a life with restful sleep.
TREATMENT FOR SLEEP APNEA
Treatment for sleep apnea may be as simple as lifestyle changes and monitoring to procedures as extensive as surgery. Usually, the treatment falls somewhere in between.
A good friend of mine who suffers from sleep apnea who used to snore loudly and all night long was determined to have sleep apnea. His treatment consists of a device called a CPAP )Continuous positive airway pressure) device which consists of a mask that fits over the nose or mouth and nose that gently blows air into the throat. Adjusted properly it keeps the airways from becoming constricted during sleep. With some people there are some mild side effects such as a dry or stuffy nose, or headaches, the vast majority of people using this treatment for sleep apnea report feeling much better and sleeping better.
There are other treatments for sleep apnea that involve simpler treatments such as a mouthpiece that can be made by a dentist and keeps the lower jaw positioned correctly during sleep so that the airways remain open.
SUMMARY
Sleep apnea is a serious, even possibly life threatening condition that should be diagnosed and treated properly to provide the patient with a much improved quality of life through safe, restful sleep.
I solved sleep apnea without medical treatments – personal experience
At first I didn’t know what sleep apnea was nor that I have it.For several months I didn’t even realize I had sleep apnea. In this period I felt tired, I had no energy and I was sleepy all the time. I didn’t understand why I was tired and sleepy because I was spending more than 10 hours in bed.
Many of us want to sleep as little as possible. There is so much to do that sleep seems like a waste of time. Yet sleep, an essential time of rest and rejuvenation, benefits our minds and bodies in many ways. When you continuously don’t get the amount of sleep you need, you begin to pay for it in daytime drowsiness, trouble concentrating,irritability, increased risk of falls and accidents, and lower productivity.
Better Quality Sleep benefits to our mood, memory and concentration.