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Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects hundreds of thousands of individuals, causing them to sleep restlessly. While there are genetic disorders that can lead to sleep apnea, the more commonly found form is obstructive sleep apnea, often caused by obesity. This can be remedied with a few simple steps.
The main sleep apnea symptom is an interruption in breathing during sleep. Each time a breath is missed, these episodes are called apneas, a word which literally means “without breath”. To be considered an apnea, the episode typically lasts for at least ten seconds, and for the condition to be of clinical significance for treatment, there must be at least five events during an hour of sleep. These events also cause neurological arousal and a desaturation of blood oxygen levels, which can interrupt sleep and are damaging to health. |
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Treating Sleep Apnea to End Sleepless Nights
Often, a patient with sleep apnea may not even be aware that they are having difficulty breathing and feel that they are just having a problem with staying asleep. To diagnose the problem, another individual must evaluate the sleeping pattern and determine if apneas are occurring. In regards to obstructive sleep apnea, it seems that almost one in five American adults suffer from at least a mild form of the condition. What often happens is, after muscles relax into a sleeping state, the walls of soft tissue around the airway in the throat will collapse, causing an obstruction in breathing capacity.
This is especially common in obese individuals, who have more fatty tissue around the throat that weighs heavily on the airway. In fact, the majority of individuals with chronic sleep apnea are at least moderately overweight and many severely or morbidly obese. This is especially common in those who carry a lot of excess weight in their face and neck. Other patients are those with decreased muscle tone or structural features that cause a narrowing of the airway. Men experience the problem more often than women, especially as they age.
Another common sleep apnea symptom, aside from restless sleep, is loud snoring that is sometimes followed by gasping, as well as morning headaches, irritability, forgetfulness, reflux, heavy sweating at night, and mood or behavior changes, usually caused by exhaustion. Sleep apnea treatment for most involves learning to sleep in different positions that allow the trachea to open up and not be crushed by soft tissue or lack of muscle strength. Some strength building exercises for the neck muscles can also assist in therapy as sleep apnea treatment, but more commonly, the patient will be instructed to diet and lose a good deal of weight.
There are no effective drugs for treating sleep apnea, and it is important that, if surgery is required for any reason, the individual go through with the procedure to allow healthy sleep without fear of suffocation or strangulation. At the same time, it is typical for the problem to be remedied with some basic weight control procedures.
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