What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea is One of the Most Commonly Undiagnosed,
Yet Potentially Fatal Conditions
Sleep apnea (or "sleep apnoea" in British english,
common misspellings — sleep apnia, sleep apena and sleep
aponea) can be a very serious sleep disorder and could be fatal
if untreated. See also: Can
Sleep Apnea Cause Death?
Basically, sleep apnea is an interruption to breathing during
sleep. There are three main types of sleep apnea that
affect breathing in different ways.
What Is Sleep Apnea? — Types of Sleep Apnea
Central sleep apnea occurs when there is insufficent
respiratory effort and breathing stops intermittently throughout
the night. This is due to the signals from the brain that tell
the body to breathe are not sent when they should be. This is
a problem that originates with the central nervous system and
can come about as a result of brain injury, virus, tumor or other
factors that affect the brain as well as chronic respiratory disease.
The second type is obstructive sleep apnea.
This is because there is an actual physical obstruction that prevents
a proper breathing pattern. This form of the sleep disorder is
most common among overweight individuals. Other causes for obstruction
to the airway include enlarged tonsils or adenoids, deviated septum,
enlarged tongue and relaxed muscles in the neck (which can be
caused or exacerbated by alcohol or sedatives).
Complex sleep apnea refers to a combination
of central and obstructive conditions that cause the apnea episodes.
Each of these interruptions (or apnea) can result in one or more
breaths being missed and may go unnoticed and undiagnosed for
years.
What Is Sleep Apnea? — Overview
Often a problem is only found out by the symptoms caused by the
lack of restful sleep such as daytime tiredness and fatigue. In
some cases the apnea is noticed by a spouse or family member.
See Symptoms of Sleep Apnea.
Fortunately, some progress has been made in treating these conditions
from the mild to the severe.
In mild cases simply sleeping on your side can help.
There are specially shaped pillows and shirts that are designed
to promote sleeping in this position. There are also oral appliances
that can be custom fitted by a dentist that can help by causing
the lower jaw to project forward slightly and opening the airway.
In more severe cases of this sleep disorder CPAP machines
are available. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.
CPAP helps to maintain airflow through assisting inhalation. (In
some cases a BiPAP machine may be required with provides assistance
for both inhaling and exhaling.)
Surgery is an option in the case of obstructive apnea.
There are various approaches depending on the particular case
of each sleep apnea sufferer.
Whichever form of sleep apnea, it can be difficult to get a diagnosis
without having a "sleep test" or "sleep study"
done. These are generally done overnight and will monitor the
electical activity of your brain with a EEG (Electroencephalograph)
as well as the oxygen saturation levels of your blood.
If you have been fatigued for a long time and don't feel rested
after a night's sleep see your doctor and ask about being checked
for sleep apnea, especially if you are overweight.
Sleep Apnea Videos
What Is Sleep Apnea — PART 1
What Is Sleep Apnea — PART 2
What Is Sleep Apnea — PART 3
Related Articles:
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea Cures
Can Sleep Apnea Cause
Death?
Weight Gain Sleep Apnea Connection
Sleep Apnea Masks
Sleep Apnea Pillow
Snoring Mouthpiece
Snoring Remedies
Sleep Apnea Supplies
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