Understanding sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person will stop breathing for ten seconds or more periodically while they sleep. There are two different types of sleep apnea, the most common being obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. OSA is characterized by an obstruction causing the stoppage of breath. Your anatomy can cause you to be predisposed for sleep apnea. For instance, if you have an extremely large tongue it may interrupt your breathing while you sleep. The other type of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea which is caused by a problem with brain signals. Many people with sleep apnea will awaken throughout the night, gasping for breath. This is usually a clear indication that something is wrong.
Other people will have no idea that they have sleep apnea at all. However, almost all sleep apnea sufferers find they are tired throughout the day and never feel fully rested. Most people with sleep apnea snore. Since any type of snoring is typically the sign of some other type of health issue you should see your doctor to ensure it isn't something more serious. Some other symptoms which may be caused by sleep apnea include sore throat, morning headaches, irritability, anxiety, forgetfulness, and inability to concentrate. If you have one or more of these symptoms see your doctor. They can schedule you for a polysomnography test which monitors sleep patterns and can determine if you have sleep apnea and to what degree.
There are several different treatment options for sleep apnea sufferers. The most common are the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine and surgery. Surgery doesn't work for everyone, only those with a significant anatomical cause to their sleep apnea. For instance, one type of surgery removes excess tissue in the upper throat if it is found to be an obstruction to the breath. The CPAP machine forces air in and out of the lungs, prevent any obstructions to occur. This requires the patient to wear some type of face mask, but most report that after a few nights they don't notice the mask anymore. Left untreated sleep apnea can lead to some serious conditions such as heart attack and stroke. Sleep apnea is treatable and the faster you receive attention the better off you will be in your day to day life.
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Rudy Watkins writes about sleep apnea symptoms, treatments and other related topics for the Apnea Guide website. Read more and sign up for our free newsletter at http://www.apneaguide.com.