Sleep apnea – Causes, Symptoms & Treatment -

Sleep apnea is a medical condition where you stop and start breathing during your sleeping moments. It would be best if you understood that you might have sleep apnea when you feel tired after your night’s sleep.

Blood pressure and heart trouble are common issues in sleep apnea. This disease can attack anyone, but those people who are overweight have more effect on sleep apnea. Sleep apnea obstructs the flow of breath hundreds of times during the night.

This disease creates health problems such as high blood pressure, enlargement of tissues, heart failure, and heart attack without proper treatment. Twenty-five percent of men and 10% of women suffer from this disease. Apnea attacks babies, children, and those people who are overweight and overage.

Table of Contents

Causes and types

Sleep apnea is a common and serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops for 10 seconds during sleep. The disorder results in a lack of oxygen in the blood and can shorten the sleep of those who sleep through the night.

Some causes of sleep apnea are:

Head and neck anatomy
Excess weight
Cigarette smoking
Hormone abnormalities
Sleeping position
Family history of sleep apnea
Being male
Nasal congestion
Using alcohol

Sleep apnea is divided into three types:

1- Obstructive sleep apnea:

This type is most common. In this situation, your airways are blocked during sleep because the soft tissue in your throat breaks down. At this critical stage, your body begins to tremble and jerk.

2- Central sleep apnea:

In central sleep apnea, your brain stops sending proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.

3-Complex sleep apnea:

This type occurs when somebody has both (OSA) and (CSA). Sleep apnea may occur in older adults.

Symptoms

Snoring is one of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea. Your breathing may stop from time to time. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sleepiness, and tiredness during the day.

Sleep apnea symptoms differ from person to person and are listed below:

Bad dreams and nightmares
Dizziness while awake
Loss of interest in sex
Forgetfulness
Morning headaches
Fall asleep while driving
Lake of energy after a full night’s sleep
Restless sleep
Dry mouth

A patient with sleep apnea may be unaware of his symptoms and signs, whereas your partner tells you that you are in a snoring position. If these symptoms appear on your body, contact your Pulmonologist in Lahore immediately. Your doctor may suggest a sleeping test if he suspects you have sleep apnea.

By following the doctors’ advice, these symptoms can be significantly reduced. Sleeping on the hands and knees is an unusual position for this disease. Children often sleep in the classrooms and feel laziness during their studies.

Treatment

Sleep apnea is also called a chronic condition. By changing lifestyle, mild cases can improve, such as quitting smoking, physical activity, weight loss, etc.

Regular treatment and (CPAP) therapy can significantly reduce the health complications of sleep apnea. Research shows that sleeping on your back throughout the night can increase this illness. Sleeping on your side can be beneficial for you. Changing lifestyles can play a vital role in severe cases of sleep apnea.

The following steps may help and do not improve your signs and symptoms of sleep apnea.

Maintain a healthy weight
Exercise
Avoid alcohol
Sleep on your side

It should be your doctor’s priority to make changes in your routine life. Following can help open up blocked airways:

Supplemental oxygen
Adaptive servo-ventilation
Oral appliances
Other airway pressure devices.
Continuous positive airway pressure
Treatment for associated medical problems.

Surgery

Surgery is needed when other treatments do not work. Before considering surgery, at least a three-month trial of different treatment options is recommended.

Surgical options might include: