Sleep apnea is a form of the sleeping disorder where an individual has abnormal pauses and stops in his breathing pattern. Sometimes, patients can also suffer from very low breathing while they sleep. In this article, you will learn more about this disorder.
Table of Contents
What is Apnea?
Apnea comes from the Greek word “apnoia,” which refers to “breathlessness.” Apnea signifies the pause between two successive breaths. During normal breathing, individuals will have a constant frequency in apnea, and it would follow a regular pattern. However, if the normal breathing pattern alters, then the intervals between the pauses will become irregular. It will eventually lead to sleeping apnea disorder.
When an individual start to have irregularity in their pause between breaths, it is called hypopnea. Irregular breathing patterns during sleep cause sleep apnea.
What are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?
People who suffer from sleep apnea often are not even aware of the problem. However, it is easy to discern if you have sleep apnea through certain symptoms. Some of the major symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Insomnia,
- Restless sleeping pattern,
- Choking during sleep,
- Night sweat,
- Feeling sleepy during the day,
- Snoring loudly,
- Breathlessness while sleeping.
The minor symptoms of sleep apnea include the following:
- Fatigue
- Morning headache,
- Memory loss,
- Difficulty to learn new thing,
- Irritation,
- Lack of concentration,
- Depression,
- Mood swings,
- Dry throat.
What are the Causes of Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea generally happens because of prolonged fat buildup and loss of muscles in the body. Hence, this disorder takes place in older people a lot. The windpipe muscles, mouth, and throat are crucial for breathing, and they contract and relax during normal breathing activity. However, because of the fat buildup and loss of muscle tone, the windpipe becomes tighter, and it restricts easy airflow to the lungs.
Sleep apnea can also occur because of neurological problems as neurons that control the breathing process while sleeping may malfunction.
You can test if you have sleep apnea by doing an overnight polysomnogram test to effectively detect different types of sleeping disorders.
Treating Sleep Apnea
Treating sleep apnea is not difficult. However, the treatment will vary according to the severity of the patient’s condition and their suffering from the disorder. Patients can take guided therapies or opt for surgeries if their disorder is intensive. You can do continuous positive airway pressure therapy also if you suffer from a moderate sleeping problem. This therapy will consist of using an external oxygen mask on your nose when you sleep. The air pressure inside the mask will be more than that of the surroundings, and hence, it will keep the nasal passage open.
You can also find clinics where such medical procedures are conducted by searching on the internet for “ear nose throat, head & neck surgery clinic.”
Conclusion
Sleep apnea is an irritating sleeping disorder that can cause serious fatigue and strain on the body. You should get treatment for sleep apnea immediately should you suffer from it.