What is Sleep Apnea and Recognizing It
'Apnea' comes from the Greek word 'apnoia' which means 'no breathing.
' Hence, what is sleep apnea is this: breathing pauses or stops momentarily during sleep.
Pauses in breathing may happen from time to time in normal healthy persons.
But in patients with this, the breathing interruptions come often and many times during the night to the point that their life and health are already affected.
What Are The Different Types of Sleep Apnea? The most common is obstructive sleep apnea, where the breathing interruption is caused by the blocking of the airflow due to tissue obstruction in the airways.
This happens because the muscles of the body relax, and tissues in the throat area may sag, blocking the airways.
When this happens, the person gets awakened and resumes breathing, sometimes without even noticing that a breathing interruption occurred.
Central sleep apnea, the rarer type, is due to neurological, rather than physical, causes.
The brain fails to send the signals for the breathing action quick enough and so breathing momentarily stops, then breathing automatically resumes, usually at a faster rate to compensate for the lack of oxygen during the pause.
There are also cases when a person experiences a combination of both types of this sleep disorder.
In severe cases, the depletion of oxygen may be so much that serious complications occur.
Studies show an association between the disorder and the incidence of congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and stroke, among other complications.
It is more common among men and older people.
What Are The Signs and Symptoms? Due to the sufferers lack of sleep, they are usually fatigued and seemingly very tired during the day.
Perhaps also in connection with this are symptoms like headache, sore throat, and grogginess.
The most common manifestation is snoring.
However, not all people who have this problem snore, and not all people who snore can be classed with having this disorder.
People who find themselves with these signs and symptoms would do well to discuss the problem with a doctor.
There are tests that the doctor can perform to determine if a person is indeed suffering from this, and recommend appropriate treatment if necessary.
Understanding what is sleep apnea can help a person decide if this is a problem he should worry about and seek medical advice for, or not.
If it is, then he can take the needed action to address the problem.
' Hence, what is sleep apnea is this: breathing pauses or stops momentarily during sleep.
Pauses in breathing may happen from time to time in normal healthy persons.
But in patients with this, the breathing interruptions come often and many times during the night to the point that their life and health are already affected.
What Are The Different Types of Sleep Apnea? The most common is obstructive sleep apnea, where the breathing interruption is caused by the blocking of the airflow due to tissue obstruction in the airways.
This happens because the muscles of the body relax, and tissues in the throat area may sag, blocking the airways.
When this happens, the person gets awakened and resumes breathing, sometimes without even noticing that a breathing interruption occurred.
Central sleep apnea, the rarer type, is due to neurological, rather than physical, causes.
The brain fails to send the signals for the breathing action quick enough and so breathing momentarily stops, then breathing automatically resumes, usually at a faster rate to compensate for the lack of oxygen during the pause.
There are also cases when a person experiences a combination of both types of this sleep disorder.
In severe cases, the depletion of oxygen may be so much that serious complications occur.
Studies show an association between the disorder and the incidence of congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and stroke, among other complications.
It is more common among men and older people.
What Are The Signs and Symptoms? Due to the sufferers lack of sleep, they are usually fatigued and seemingly very tired during the day.
Perhaps also in connection with this are symptoms like headache, sore throat, and grogginess.
The most common manifestation is snoring.
However, not all people who have this problem snore, and not all people who snore can be classed with having this disorder.
People who find themselves with these signs and symptoms would do well to discuss the problem with a doctor.
There are tests that the doctor can perform to determine if a person is indeed suffering from this, and recommend appropriate treatment if necessary.
Understanding what is sleep apnea can help a person decide if this is a problem he should worry about and seek medical advice for, or not.
If it is, then he can take the needed action to address the problem.