Are You Suffering From Sleep Apnea and Do You Know That it is Preventable and Treatable? Here Are the Symptoms, Causes, Self Help Measures and CPAP:
The best Treatment Alternative
Sleep apnea is when an individual’s breathing is interrupted periodically during sleeping. Most people mistake sleep apnea for snoring. The difference is, snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea. Although someone may snore while not necessarily suffering from sleep apnea, when the snoring is followed by alternating choking sounds, gasping sounds and pauses in breathing, you may need to worry about sleeping apnea.
It is the pause in breathing that is referred to as apnea. The pause is usually as a result of relaxation of the muscles and soft tissues of the throat making its walls collapse. If the collapsing causes a total blockage the condition is referred to as apnoea while partial blockage leads to hypopnoea. Each apnea session may last for about 10 seconds or more, and it may repeatedly occur in an hour.
Types of Sleep apnea
i) Obstructive sleep apnea
It is the most common type and occurs when there is partial or total blockage of the airway. All muscles in our body relax naturally during sleeping. Usually, the airway reduces in size but enough to allow the flow of air. However, for patients of obstructive sleep apnea, the airway is naturally narrow. The narrowness can be either because of more fats in the throat walls or just the way you were born, and when the muscles relax, the airway can easily block.
ii) Central sleep apnea
It is not a common type. It occurs when the Central Nervous System of the brain fails to signal breathing. It can be as a result of brain injury, stroke, heart disease or neurological disease.
iii) Complex sleep apnea syndrome.
It occurs when someone suffers from a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea. It is commonly known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea.
The Signs and Symptoms of sleep apnea are:
– Loud snoring
– Choking sounds or gasping sounds
– Daytime fatigue
– Insomnia
– Headaches after sleep
– Pauses in breathing
What can cause sleep apnea?
The following conditions are believed to cause sleep apnea:
– Overweight, especially for male
– Age above 50 – central sleep apnea is more prone to male above 65 years of age with a family history of the condition
– Anyone whose neck is greater than 40 centimeters in circumference
– Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
– Receding chin
– Deviated septum
– Smoking
Sleep apnea can lead to fatal conditions if not treated in time. Here are some of the complications:
– High blood pressure
– Liver problems
– Post-surgery complications
– Type 2 diabetes
However, sleep apnea is treatable, and it all starts with you accepting your condition. The best way of dealing with sleep apnea is using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. The machine helps people suffering from the condition to breathe normally and regularly when sleeping. The device prevents your airway from collapsing when you breathe in by increasing the air pressure in your throat.
Lifestyle changes like eating proper diets, doing exercise, and avoiding drugs like tobacco and alcohol can also help to prevent or manage sleep apnea.
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