There are a lot of people who might have sleep apnea and not be aware of it. This is a prevalent disease that as a serious condition that people need to be aware of. Since it occurs while asleep, it is hard to diagnose. However there are a series of tests that can help doctors and patients identify it. It is essential to seek medical advice for yourself or someone you know suffering from sleep apnea.

The sufferers and their loved ones might often ignore sleep apnea as simple snoring at night, but there might be major complications involved.

Dr. Lawrence Epstein, chief medical officer at Sleep Health Centers, a network of clinics based in Brighton states:

“Getting a good night’s sleep is not just about feeling good. It’s good for overall health.”

A healthy sleep is essential for the overall wellbeing of a person and care should be taken and effective measures should be taken for avoiding such diseases.

Sleep apnea is commonplace in the United States, even if the person is unaware it is happening. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes. These breaks in regular breathing patterns may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour, and sometimes hundreds of times during the night. In each single breathing pause, the brain arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing. As a result, sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

Symptoms may be present for years without recognition, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance. The National Institute of Health posts that about 18 million Americans, or 1 in 15, suffer from sleep apnea and almost 80% of those affected are ignorant to the fact these breathing pauses are taking place, thus it more often than not goes unreported and undetected.

The Greek word apnea literally means “without breath,” and there are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Out of the three, obstructive is the most common. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. A combination of the two conditions is dubbed as mixed apnea.

OSA, which is the most common type affecting 90% of total sufferers, significantly impacts one’s daily routine and can be fatal in some instances. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues.

Source: American Sleep Apnea Association

Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.