Sleep apnea is a common but potentially serious condition in which a person will stop breathing periodically while sleeping. Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea sickness, and many people with this condition will start breathing again with a loud and startling snore.
Sleep apnea is characterized by a period of time where a person does not breathe. This typically lasts more than ten seconds and can happen numerous times each hour. The result is lowered oxygen levels in the body and the heart needs to work harder in order to get oxygen to the body’s cells. This can lead to serious heart problems such as stroke or heart attack. Many people that get sleep apnea are overweight, drink alcohol before bed, and smoke. Another factor for sleep apnea may be high altitudes.
The most common type of sleep apnea is known as obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when there is some type of obstruction in the airway which can interfere with breathing. The other type of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea. This is a very rare condition in which nerves controlling breathing are affected.
Many men between the ages of 40 and 60 tend to get obstructive sleep apnea. The most common cause is the soft tissue in the throat becoming overly relaxed during sleep. This can cause the temporary disruption of breathing. While the person will always start breathing again the problem comes with the lack of oxygen which causes the heart to move harder. Obstructive sleep apnea is often characterized by sudden loud snoring.
Many things can cause sleep apnea. Once of the most common factors is weight. Adults who are considerably overweight face the potential of developing sleep apnea. Children with enlarged adenoids or tonsils also may develop sleep apnea.
Central sleep apnea is very uncommon, and is usually the result of a stroke or brain injury.
Other than loud disruptive snoring there are a number of signs that a person may have sleep apnea. Some of these include tiredness, morning headaches, poor memory, impotence in men, frequency nighttime urination, and poor concentration. If you snore and have one of these other symptoms you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be very dangerous since it can lead to irregular heartbeats and high blood pressure in addition to the heart problems mentioned previously.
As you can see, sleep apnea can be very serious. Get yourself checked out by your doctor if you think you may have sleep apnea or are at risk of developing it. There are several treatment options which can help you.
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