Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea (apnoea in the UK and Australia) is a sleep disorder characterised by pauses in breathing or block to airflow during sleep, usually at a minimum of 10 second intervals in between breaths, maybe up to five times in an hour of sleep. This is usually accompanied by loud snoring and as the level of oxygen in the body drops, it is classed as sleep apnea.
In people who do not suffer from sleep apnea, breathing is regular. For someone with sleep apnea, their brain seems to have lost the mechanism to breathe, causing anything from minor to major problems for the sufferer.
Often a person suffering from sleep apnea is unaware of it but a sleep test called a polysomnogram can determine whether you are a suffer and the extent of such suffering.
A sleep apnea sufferer may also snore and become tired during the day due to lack of sleep, which may cause accidents at home or at work or even worse if driving: you could be putting yourself and others in danger due to lack of concentration and crashing, all of this might give you an idea that something is not right.
When a person is sleeping they are relaxed and the soft tissue in the throat can relax to such a degree that is causes an obstruction. This is common in people who are overweight and who lack muscle tone. The elderly are also prone to sleep apnea disorders andit is more common in men than women and children. Sleep apnea can be common in premature babies, and they have to be monitored very closely. Thankfully, most babies grow out of the condition, although sudden death syndrome is sometimes thought to be related to sleep apnea.
Causes as mentioned already are obesity and age, and other known causes are drinking and smoking.
A solution to help reduce symptoms of sleep apnea would be first to reduce alcohol in- take and to stop smoking, lose weight and sleep in a more upright position.
Oral appliances or sleep machines can be used whilst sleeping. These machines pump air at a positive pressure into the mouth and nose and help prevent symptoms. However, if the symptoms do not cease with these appliances a more drastic approach would be to have an operation on the throat which tightens the muscle and widens the air way.
Problems which can be caused by long term sleep apnea are strokes, heart disease and high blood pressure, depression and irregular heart beat.
People who suffer from sleep apena are more at risk of suffering a heart attack, so the seemingly harmless effects of sleep apnea could eventually and tragically be fatal, if not dealt with. So finding a solution is a key to a healthy and happy life for both you and your loved ones.
Sleep is something that is essential to our well being and believe it or not, something to relish and enjoy.
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