Sleep apnea is actually very common. You see it first as snoring and then as periods of time that a person doesn’t breathe during their sleep and gasping to get their breath at times. It can be mild, moderate or severe and worsens over time.
About 12-20 million Americans suffer from this condition at any point in time and it is as common as diabetes. Men have it more often than women and it is also more likely to occur in those who snore and in those who are overweight. It is a dangerous disease and about 38 thousand people die from the condition every year due to cardiovascular side effects of the disorder.
Definition of Sleep Apnea
This is a sleeping disorder that manifests itself as pauses or gaps in breathing when one sleeps. The gaps in breathing can last from 10-60 seconds at a time, but can be longer if the condition is very severe. The gaps are called “apnea events” that occur as often as 300 to 400 times in any given night. It is possible to wake up during a sleep apnea event, while others do not awaken but catch their breath during sleep.
Types of Sleep Apnea
There are three known types of sleep apnea: the first is obstructive, the second is central and the third is mixed sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of apnea and involves 9 of 10 apnea sufferers. This disorder happens when the airway collapses during sleep, making it difficult for air to pass through the airway. Obstruction can be in the back of the throat or in the trachea or wind pipe itself. When it involves the back of the throat, it is due to fatty tissue which gets in the way of the airway.
Central sleep apnea happens when the brain has poor signals to allow a person to breathe properly. The breathing muscles do not get the signal from the brain to operate and you stop breathing. This is a rare form of sleep apnea. The mixed type sleep apnea is more like obstructive sleep apnea with elements of brain dysfunction not allowing a person to breathe well at night.
Having Sleep Apnea
You know that you might have sleep apnea if you are snoring deeply at night, if you wake up gasping for breath at night or if you have a lot of daytime sleepiness. If you have any of these symptoms, contact your doctor about possibly getting a polysomnograph sleep study. Such a test can easily diagnose sleep apnea.
Is Sleep Apnea Life Threatening?
If you do not have this sleep problem treated, you can subsequently get high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke-like symptoms. You stand a higher chance of having work accidents or car accidents if you have sleep apnea that is not treated.
Can sleep apnea be improved?
In minor cases, you can make lifestyle changes to correct the problem. Such changes include quitting smoking, losing weight, sleeping on your side, limiting alcohol before bedtime and not using sleeping pills or sedatives before going to sleep. In severe cases, you may need a device called CPAP that opens the airway during sleep.
Tags: Sleep Apnea