All You Need To Know About Sleep Apnea

What is Sleep Apnea?

This is a sleep disorder that makes someone start and stop breathing repeatedly. One of the symptoms of this is when you have a loud snore and have a tired feeling after sleeping for the whole night. When this happens, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. It consists of three main types.

Central sleep apnea: This type of sleep apnea happens when the muscles haven't received proper signals that help in controlling how you breathe from the brain.

Obstructive sleep apnea: This is most common when there is a relaxation o the muscles throat.

Complex sleep apnea syndrome: Also known to be treatment-emergent, happens when someone combines the other two types of sleep apnea. If you think you have any of this type of apnea, contacting your doctor would be the best solution. You can ease the symptoms when you treat it as it may also help in the prevention of heart problems,including other health issues.

The symptoms

Sometimes, there may be overlapping symptoms and signs of the obstructive and central. When this happens, you will find it difficult to know the sleep apnea you are suffering from. However, when three two are combined, you will notice the following symptoms such as

• Snoring loudly when you sleep
• Moments of stop in breathingwhile you sleep which another person will make a report
• Absence of air during sleep as you gasp for it
• Irritability
• Waking up in the morning with a headache
• Waking up with a dry mouth
• Sleep difficulty (Insomnia)
• Being unable to pay attention when you wake up

When do you need a visit to a doctor?

When you sleep and snore loudly, this may be an indication of a potentially serious health crisis. Note, some people have apnea but don't snore. Contact your doctor if you have noticed any of the symptoms. Ask him about what could be the cause ofa sleep problem that makes you sleepy, tired, or irritable.

The causes

Obstructive sleep apnea

This sleep apnea happens whenever there's a relaxation of the muscles behind one's throat. The soft palate is offered support by the muscles, the tonsils, the uvular, and the throat sidewalls. When there's muscle relaxation, it results in closing the breath. There would not be enough air which can help in lowering the level of oxygen in the blood. The brain will understand that you are unable to breathe which leads to briefly rousing you from sleep for you to have your airway reopened. Thisusual wakeup is always so short that you forget it quickly. You may choke, or even gasp as you may have this experience recurring for about five to thirty times within every hour every night. It disturbs you from being able to have a restful sleep or sleep deeply.

Central sleep apnea

This form of sleep apnea happens when there is a failed transmission of signals between your brain and yourbreathing muscles. This implies that you are unable to breathe for a fee time. You may wake up being short of breath or you may find it difficult to sleep or to stay asleep.

The risk factors

Everyone can be affected by sleep apnea, including children. However, there some factors that improve risk.

The risk of Obstructive sleep apnea

The risk of this form of sleep apnea can be increased by the following factors
Circumference of the neck: The airways can be narrow for people who have thick necks
Overweighting: Generally, people who have obesity have increased chances of sleep apnea. There can be obstruction of breathing as a result of the deposited fats and the upper airway.
Narrowed airway: This could be hereditary - a narrow throat. There could be an enlargement of adenoids or tonsils which leads to blocking the airway, especially in children.
Alcohol use: There could be muscle relaxation in your throat with the use of sedatives or tranquilizers. With this, sleep apnea could be worsened.
Nasal congestion: If you find it hard to breathe through the nose whenever as a result of problems of anatomy or allergies, you are prone todeveloping this form of sleep apnea.
Smoking: The chances of having sleep apnea are three times higher in smokers compared to those who never smoked. When the smoke, the inflammation and retention of fluid is increased in the upper airway.

Central sleep apnea

The risk of this form of sleep apnea can be increased by the following factors
Heart Disorders: when there is congestive heart failure, the risk of having it increases
Stroke: People who have a stroke have higher chances of having this sleep apnea
Male factor: This sleep apnea is mostly rampant in men
Medication: When you take narcotic pain medication, you have higher chances of having this apnea type.
Old age: The chances of having this sleep apnea is higher among people who are old aged or middle-aged