Information About Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disease where breathing gets irregular during sleep. Breathing may even stop for a few seconds and cause the patient to wake up. It disrupts sleep and mental health of individuals and has severe side effects.
Types:
1. Obstructive sleep apnea: Due to genetic problems, excess tissue may start growing on the back of tongue, nose and throat. This blocks the normal airway passage used during breathing, disrupts breathing mechanism and causes obstructive sleep apnea.
2. Central sleep apnea: This occurs when the brain fails to send messages to the breathing mechanism. Absence of these messages disrupts subconscious breathing during sleep.
3. Mixed sleep apnea: This occurs when conditions for obstructive and central sleep apnea are both present.
Symptoms:
– Patients gasp for air during sleep. They may even face choking in severe conditions.
– Patients snore loudly and excessively. Snoring patterns represent the irregularity of breathing
– Bad headaches are experienced right after waking up.
– Patients wake up with sore throats and a dry mouth.
– Memory problems may occur, maybe short-tem initially and move to long-term as the disease progresses.
– Patients may face problems concentrating on matters at hand.
– Patients urinate frequently throughout the night.
– Daytime sleepiness and drowsiness occurs.
– Patients may be lazy and this may cause drowsy driving.
– Cardiovascular problems may occur, strains being most likely.
– Patients face hypertension and irregular heartbeats.
– Patients may gain weight very rapidly.
– Risks of diabetes increase.
– Depression may occur very often.
– Patients may experience a high blood pressure under normal circumstances.
– In severe cases, patients may get myocardial strokes as well.
The causes for sleep apnea depend upon the type of sleep apnea the patient faces. However, people who sleep on their backs or obese or have shorter necks, face sleep apnea more often. Males suffer from sleep apnea more than women. Having a relative with the problem also increases the probability of getting it.
Treatment for Sleep Apnea:
General tips for helping sleep apnea:
1. Weight loss: Losing weight can be the first step to cure sleep apnea. People with less weight are less likely to get the disease.
2. Quit smoking: Smoking increases the inflammation of your lungs. It also increases the fluid retention in your throat. These lead to obstructive breathing passages.
3. Avoid sedatives, alcohol and sleeping pills: These should be avoided before sleeping. These generally slow down human reflexes and the breathing mechanism.
4. Maintaining a sleep schedule: A sleep schedule should be set and this should be continuously followed. Healthy sleeping habits help improve sleep apnea.
Bed time tips for sleep apnea:
1. Sleep on the side: Patients should sleep on their side. When patients sleep on their back, gravity pulls the soft tissues of tongue and throat and may cause obstruction.
2. Tennis ball trick: Fill a bag with tennis balls and put it behind the patients back before sleeping. This prevents the patients from sleeping on their back.
3. Use Cervical Pillow: Head should be kept higher than the body. Cervical pillows can be used for this purpose.
4. Keep the breathing track clean: The nasal passage should be kept clean. Nasal dilators and saline treatments should be used for this purpose.
If the symptoms do not improve after applying these techniques, medical help from doctors should be looked for.
Medical treatments:
1. CPAP: Also known as continuous positive airway pressure, the patient is given a mask to wear during sleep. This covers the mouth and nose and has a machine, which pumps air through a tube making sure the breathing is not disrupted.
2. Dental devices: Dental retainers are placed in patient’s mouth. These eliminate obstructions and help cure sleep apnea.
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Category: Medicines and Remedies
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