Sleep apnea is a condition where a person stops breathing while sleeping and can often be mistaken for simple snoring. The seriousness of this condition lies in the length in the amount of time of apnea where there is no breathing whatsoever. These periods of time can last up to a minute long and if the condition is left untreated, eventually it can prove fatal.
Sleep apnea falls in three categories: central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea and mixed sleep apnea. The differences between the three describe the different avenues of the apnea. The similarities of the three are that they cause breathing to stop for a period of time while sleeping.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. This type of sleep apnea is caused by a blockage in a person's airways. This can be caused by the tissues in the back of the throat relaxing and collapsing during sleep, tonsils, a large tongue or stuffy nasal passages which cause the person to stop breathing. Central sleep apnea is caused by a mixed message that is sent. The nerves do not send the proper breathing messages to the muscles that assist in breathing. Therefore it is a signal error. The final type of sleep apnea is mixed sleep apnea. This is caused by both brain signal errors and the relaxation of the tissues in the throat.
Regardless of the type of apnea the person suffers from the end result is the same. The brain wakes the sleeping person in order to remind them to breathe ensuring that the body receives oxygen, but leaves the person not well rested due to the broken sleep. The affected person rarely realizes that they are having breathing issues during the night. Sleep apnea is a problem that is witnessed by others by them watching or listening to the person that is sleeping. Symptom such as excessive and loud snoring may be present for years without being identified. The person that suffers from apnea will notice that they are not having a refreshing and restful sleep and will eventually seek medical help for this condition.
Once it is realized that there is a problem, you need to seek medical attention. There is a test called the polysomnography test which is normally done to diagnose sleep apnea. There are two types of this test. One is an overnight test that monitors heart rate, brain waves, eye movement, muscle tension, respiration and the oxygen level in the blood. You stay the night at their facilities and they test you while you sleep. The other type of test is a home test. A sleep technologist hooks up the electrodes and instructs you on how to record your sleep. These tests are painless and most often covered by insurance.
The cure for a mild case of sleep apnea can be an oral mouth device to keep your airway open and reduce snoring. Another possibility is that your doctor may just tell you to simply lose weight or sleep on your side. For more serious types of sleep apnea, there is a machine called a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). This is a device that continually blows air into your nose via a mask in order to keep your airway open. For the most severe types of apnea, there is a BiPAP machine that blows at two different pressures. With this machine, when the person inhales, the pressure is higher and lower when exhaling. The pressures of your machine will be set by your sleep specialist and will be set by the health care company. They will assist you in setting it up and provide training on its use and maintenance.
Sleep apnea is certainly nothing to be overly concerned about. It is simply a medical condition that requires you to seek advice from a physician.
