Sleep Apnea: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Sleep apnea is a very serious disorder in which there is interruption in one’s breathing during sleep.

Comparison between Normal Air Flow(L) and Obstructed Air Flow(R)

The breathing may be interrupted sometimes hundreds of times during the night. There are two types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea and Central sleep apnea.

Causes

• Obstructive sleep apnea: is the more common sleep apnea disorder. The cause for obstructive sleep apnea is the relaxation of the muscles at the back of the throat. When these muscles relax, the airway narrows and not enough air is inhaled, thus causing the oxygen levels in the blood to decrease. The brain senses this inability to breathe and rouses us from sleep so that the airway can be reopened. This waking up from sleep is so brief that one doesn’t even remember it and may be in the form of snorting, gasping or choking. This pattern repeats itself several times all night, preventing the body from reaching deep restful phase of sleep.
• Central sleep apnea: is less common and occurs when the brain fails to transmit signals to the breathing muscles. Being overweight, having a thicker neck, having narrow airways, being amale, being older, having a nasal congestion, having a family history of sleep apnea, smoking, are some of the main causes for increasing the risk of developing sleep apnea.

Symptoms

Some of the most frequent signs and symptoms of this disease are loud snoring, waking up with a sore or dry throat, sleepiness and lack of energy during the day, waking up in the night with a choking or gasping sensation, headaches, difficulty in concentration when awake, and irritability.

Treatment

In case of mild sleep apnea disorder, certain lifestyle changes such as losing weight, or quitting smoking, or treatment of nasal allergies (if they are the cause), can help. If the sleep apnea is moderate or severe the certain appliances and devices such as, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, that help to keep the airways open during sleep are very helpful in getting restful sleep. In some severe cases, surgery may be considered.

It is extremely important to get sleep apnea disorder treated because, if left untreated, besides having to cope with the symptoms, one could also have the risk of developing diseases such as high blood pressure, depression and diabetes.

Disclaimer: The information in no way constitutes, or should be construed as medical advice. Nor is the above article an endorsement of any research findings discussed in the article an endorsement for any of the source publications.

Sources-

1. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/sleep-apnea
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631
3. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-apnea
4. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-apnea

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