Sleep Apnea Symptoms Frequently Ignored, Identify The Cause and Dangers!

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder. Sleep apnea means stopping breathing during sleep. This condition can take place repeatedly and even hundreds of times during sleep. Any age could have sleep apnea, however, those who are obese, large neck circumference, male, aged over 40 years, so has GERD disease, more at risk of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause vital organs, including the brain deprived of oxygen. It can be fatal and long-term health problems. Unfortunately, many people do not consciously have a sleep apnea problem.

Sleep apnea is a respiratory disturbance, because the walls of the throat relax and constrict when we were sleeping. During sleep, the throat muscles become relaxed and limp. Typically, the relaxation of the throat muscles had no effect on most people, but for people with sleep apnea, the muscles become too weak to cause a narrowing or even closing the airway. In addition to sleep apnea, there are other respiratory disorders, named hipopnea. Hipopnea is the condition when there are more than 50 percent barrier in the respiratory tract. Hipopnea and sleep apnea can occur about ten seconds or more.

Sleep apnea itself is divided into two types, obstructive sleep apnea arising from relaxation of the throat muscles are experiencing excessive and central sleep apnea that arise because the brain does not send signals to the muscles to regulate breathing.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

People suffering from sleep apnea, will not realize that they are experiencing problems when sleeping, or symptoms that appear while they are awake. This condition is usually unknown if there is a spouse, friend, or family noticed. When experiencing sleep apnea, the brain is deprived of oxygen can wake you to reopen the airways and you can breathe again. You'll wake up half-conscious or awake.

Usually you will not remember, if you are having problems during sleep. This disorder will make the body feel tired during the day. Here are some symptoms that you may experience when asleep:

1. Sleepy during the day: If you've had enough sleep about 7-8 a day, but still sleepy during the day, it could be due to sleep apnea. Usually someone unwittingly awakened several times during the night, because of stop breathing during sleep.


2. Headache in the morning: In addition to discomfort, headaches routine in the morning can be one symptom of more serious health problems. In a study conducted in 2001 found 67 percent of respondents who admitted often woke up with a headache diagnosed with sleep apnea some time later, while respondents were diagnosed with sleep apnea snore and reach 81 percent. A researcher named Jeanetta Rains, Ph.D., said many people go to the doctor and complain of headaches that interfere with sleep, but the headache is just a symptom of certain conditions, one of which sleep apnea.


3. It's hard to concentrate: Good night's sleep has long been known to improve brain power. No wonder if the various sleep disorders like sleep apnea can lead to problems with memory, learning and attention deficit. All three are also frequently seen in patients with sleep apnea.


4. Irritability, depression or bad mood: According to WebMD, a person's personality changes such as mood change or a decrease in libido, can also be a symptom of sleep disorders. These changes are usually caused by the fact that they wake up hundreds of times each night, thereby reducing the hours of sleep he had. Lack hours of sleep is also known to cause people so whiny, grumpy or irritable.


5. Wake up with a dry mouth or sore throat: For most people, the condition is considered normal, whereas the most common symptoms and the earliest of sleep apnea is waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth.

If you are experiencing some of the symptoms above, especially if the symptoms are already interfere with the daily routine, then see your doctor. It is to know for sure what causes it, especially if you snore loudly because many people consider snoring is common.

What causes sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is caused by the relaxation response and excessive constriction in the soft tissues and muscles of the throat that helps speaking, swallowing, and breathing. In most people, the relaxation of the soft tissues and muscles did not interfere with breathing. But for people with sleep apnea, the muscles and soft tissues of the throat airway narrowing excessively and eventually clogged. These conditions interfere with the supply of oxygen throughout the body, and triggers the brain to wake you in order to wake up and be back to normal breathing. Some factors that may increase your risk of sleep apnea:

• Gender: Sleep apnea is more likely to occur in men.
• Having a large neck: neck size greater than 43 cm higher risk of sleep apnea.
• Obesity or excessive weight gain: The presence of excessive fat in the soft tissues of the neck and abdomen may disturb you in breathing.
• Taking the drug with calming effect: for example drugs and sleeping pills.
• Aged 40 years or more: Sleep apnea is more common in people in this age, although it can also occur at any age pun.Kelainan on the inside of the neck structures. Eg large tonsils, small respiratory tract, the lower jaw is small, and a large adenoids.
• Nasal congestion: People have a blockage in the nose is more likely to suffer from sleep apnea, such as polyps and nasal bone structure abnormalities.
• Family history: If your family are experiencing sleep apnea, your risk of suffering will increase.
• Smoking: Smoking can increase the risk of inflammation and fluid accumulation in the upper respiratory tract.
• Consuming alcoholic beverages: This habit if done before bed will worsen sleep apnea, as well as your snoring.

Sleep apnea treatment

Sleep apnea is a long-term illness that may require lifelong treatment. Changes in lifestyle and breathing apparatus while sleeping, are some of the techniques of treatment that can be done. Here are some ways the treatment of sleep apnea, along with an explanation:

Changing lifestyles
You would be advised to lead a healthy lifestyle as the beginning of the treatment of sleep apnea, some of which are:

• Avoid sedative drugs and sleeping pills.
• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Avoid sleeping on your back, try to sleep on his side.
• Stop smoking for those who have a habit merokok.Membatasi liquor consumption, especially at a time before tidur.CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)

CPAP is a device for blowing pressurized air into the nose only positive or into the nose and mouth. This positive pressure air will prevent the throat closes and relieve the symptoms that arise from sleep apnea. Some of the side effects of this treatment technique include:

• Nasal congestion.
• Runny nose or irritation.
• Headache.
• Earache.
• Abdominal pain and flatulence.

If you feel uncomfortable or get side effects that interfere with medical procedures done, you should tell your treating physician to be adjusted to your comfort level.

Mandibular Advancement Device
The tool is designed to hold the jaw and tongue to prevent narrowing of the respiratory tract that causes a person to snore. This tool is worn over the teeth while you are sleeping.

Operation procedures
This step is only done if there is no other way to cope with sleep apnea who suffered and conditions are quite severe. Here are some of the surgical procedures are done to treat sleep apnea:

• Bariatric surgery. The size of the stomach reduction surgery performed on obese people.
• Tracheostomy. The procedure to insert a pipe throat so you can easily breathe.
• Tonsillectomy. Surgical removal of the tonsils when the tonsils are too big and block the airway during sleep.
• Adenoidectomy. Surgical removal of the adenoids when adenoid too big and block the airway while you sleep.

Complications Due to Sleep Apnea

Here are some of the complications that may occur because of sleep apnea:

• Hypertension or high blood pressure. This condition does not cause specific symptoms, but it increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Strive to lead a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and eating healthy foods.
• Accident. People with severe sleep apnea at risk of an accident while on the move during the day due to the drowsiness caused by a disruption of sleep at night. It may actually occur in people who have to drive the vehicle and operate the machine.

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