Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by disruptions in breathing while sleeping. When people with this particular disorder sleep, they have several long breath delays. These slight breathing delays impair sleep quality and deplete the body’s oxygen supply, possibly resulting in significant health risks. Suppose the problem is untreated and your body doesn’t receive the necessary oxygen inside. In that case, it can lead to many serious problems in the future.
Moreover, the most common disorder in the world is sleep apnea. It may affect both adults and children, but men are more likely to be affected. Check out the link for more details https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/sleep-apnea.
Because of the prevalence of this disorder and its possible health risks, people must understand what it is and its symptoms, types, causes, and treatments. If you are experiencing the same thing because others have told you so, then you should find out as much as you can about it.
How many types are there?
This disorder is split into three different forms. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which the airway in the back of your throat starts to get blocked while sleeping. This obstruction triggers breathlessness for a short period of time.
Central sleep apnea (CSA) occurs when the brain’s mechanism for regulating muscles that are involved in respiration malfunctions, resulting in heavier, shallower, and slower breathing.
Mixed sleep apnea, also known as complex sleep apnea, occurs when an individual suffers from OSA and CSA simultaneously.
There are significant variations in the causes, symptoms, and therapies of OSA and CSA due to the underlying causes. You should visit a clinic where a professional can diagnose you with the problem. Don’t look for answers online as the only option.
How common is this disorder?
In the United States, obstructive sleep apnea is thought to affect 3-10% of adults. Still, several cases are thought to go undiagnosed, which aligns with studies showing significantly higher OSA levels. Since researchers have used various criteria for identifying the disorder, it’s difficult to establish a specific incidence. The fact that men are more affected by OSA than women is a clear fact. It can affect people of any age, but older people are much more prone to it.
Around 10% of adults over the age of 40 have CSA, according to research. OSA affects far more people than CSA, as data indicates. Because of this, when people discuss sleep apnea, they usually mean OSA. It’s not a life-threatening disorder, but you should deal with the problem as soon as possible. Lack of proper sleep results in moodiness, lack of energy, fatigue, and other symptoms. Click here for more info.
What are the most common symptoms?
Disrupted breathing, in which a person’s breathing becomes hardened or even stops for a minute or less, prolonged daytime sleepiness, irritability, short attention span, morning headaches, or trouble thinking clearly are all signs of this disorder. But why do they occur? Well, if your breathing is troubled and you don’t supply the brain and the heart with enough oxygen after you go to bed, any of the symptoms mentioned above can start to affect you. This will go on until you resolve the problem.
OSA is linked to a couple additional symptoms as well. Snoring, which is usually very loud and causes a person to gasp, snore or choke. This can wake you up briefly every time it happens. You can also experience sore and dry throat in the morning and the need to urinate frequently.
Although chronic snoring is the result of OSA, not all people who snore have the disorder. In people with CSA, snoring is not a typical symptom.
An individual who suffers from this condition is usually unaware of their breathing problems during the night. As a result, they often learn of the problem from a family member, bed partner, or roommate. People with sleep apnea who live alone are more likely to experience excessive daytime sleepiness as a symptom. If you live alone, you should record yourself throughout the night to see if you are experiencing breathing problems or snoring. It’s also a good idea to visit a Roanoke sleep dentist to get to the bottom of the problem.
What causes it?
There are a couple of factors that can cause this disorder. Some of them include obesity, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, family history, sleeping on your back, nasal congestion, and hormone abnormalities. Therefore, you should try to change a few things in your diet and overall lifestyle.
Are there any health risks?
This medical disorder can cause improper and shallower overall sleep due to nightly disruptions. As mentioned above, you will feel the need to wake up constantly because of the lack of oxygen you receive. Sleep deprivation has been linked to various health issues that affect a person physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Therefore, you should be aware of the physical issues it can cause as well.
If left untreated, it increases the risk of various cardiovascular issues, including heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease due to how it affects oxygen balance in the body. That’s why you should visit a medical professional to advise you on what to do. The sooner you deal with the issue, the better quality of life you’ll have. No more waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air.