Is sleep apnea preventing you from breathing
People suffering from a sleeping disorder called sleep apnea are often misdiagnosed to be suffering from other disorders such as depression, hyper insomnia or thyroid disorders. Sleep apnea is a common problem affecting an estimated 18 million people in America alone. It is a condition wherein, during sleep, the breathing stops for around 10 seconds at a time and this can happen almost 300 times during the night! Thus, sleep apnea is fatal and can cause overall body weakness since the body does not get a chance for proper rest. This can further affect the quality of your life you are living. Sleep apnea can affect all age groups and both the genders, although it is more common in men than in women. It occurs due to obstructions in the airway, making the breathing difficult. During sleep, as the throat muscles and the tongue relax and sag, they may partially block the airway. Obesity, sinusitis, common cold, snoring and enlarged tonsil can all cause sleep apnea.
The symptoms of these diseases include daytime sleepiness, fatigue, emotional problems, loss of energy, learning difficulties, anxiety and depression. Sleep apnea is difficult to be diagnosed because the victim is unable to sense his or her problem and also many other diseases generally share the same type of symptoms. Yet, for an effective treatment, it is important at first to have the correct diagnosis of this disorder. There are three main types of effective treatment of sleep apnea - surgery, change in lifestyle and specific treatments. Surgery involves rectifying any physical abnormality of the airway, throat or tongue that might causing the blockage in the airway. Lifestyle changes involve weight loss programs and prevention from taking drugs such as sedatives, sleeping pills and narcotics.
It is also important to avoid alcohol before sleeping. Specific treatments include dental appliances and the use of decongestants wherever the problem is caused by sinusitis or common cold problems. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure is the name of a treatment to specifically cure sleep apnea. The service of a qualified doctor is required to detect and treat this sleeping disorder.
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