The disorders of sleep are a severe public health problem and significantly impact the sufferer’s daily routine, causing irritability, fatigue, or lack of concentration. Apnea sleep, also known as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome sleep is when breathing stops while the person is asleep. There must be at least thirty pauses in breathing during night rest to determine that you have this syndrome. It is more common in overweight and adult men and women who have gone through menopause. At FastlyHealwe, explain sleep apnea symptoms, causes, and treatment.
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Symptoms of sleep apnea
There is a pattern in the person who suffers from sleep apnea; he usually begins to snore just after falling asleep. This becomes louder until a long period of silence appears in which breathing stops. A snort follows this silence as you try to breathe throughout the night. This behavior is the most common symptom of sleep apnea.
Many people with this syndrome are unaware that their breathing stops at night. Still, they will surely notice that they wake up tired and irritable the following day, headaches may appear, and they fall asleep while working, reading, or watching. TV. It can also bring high blood pressure, depression, hyperactivity, and swelling in the legs if the apnea is severe.
We must bear in mind that there are three types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive apnea: is the most common and consists of the interruption of airflow into the airways.
- Central sleep apnea: occurs when the brain does not send signals to the muscles that control breathing, and these stop working, but the pathways remain open.
- Mixed apnea: It can start as a central apnea and become obstructive.
Causes of sleep apnea
When we sleep, our muscles relax, including the muscles that allow the throat to remain open and air to circulate to the lungs. But not only do they rest, but they bulge, and the tongue, tonsils, and palate block breathing; this is the cause of sleep apnea. It should be noted that not all people who snore will develop this disorder.
Some risk factors will make sleep apnea more likely:
- Being a man.
- Having obesity problems, especially if excess fat appears in the neck, as it narrows the airways.
- If you have tonsils or adenoids larger than usual, they will occupy the airways, preventing air passage.
- Family background.
- The consumption of alcohol or tranquilizers relaxes the muscles in this area and clogs the throat.
Sleep apnea treatment
The purpose of treatment for sleep apnea will be to keep the airways open while you sleep, thus preventing breathing from stopping. Continuous positive pressure devices are the best way to treat it; they include placing a mask on your nose while you sleep. This mask is connected to an air pump next to your bed, and the machine will pump air while you sleep to prevent the airways from being obstructed. Dental devices will also be a treatment option to keep the jaw forward and the pathways open.
Surgery is an alternative, but it will only be performed if the previous treatments have not been effective or the symptoms are pretty severe; in the same way, it does not guarantee that sleep apnea will be completely cured. This disorder needs to be treated by a specialist and generally completely relieves the symptoms.
Without proper care, there can be severe complications such as strokes and heart failure, car accidents, driving if you are sleepy or industrial, from falling asleep at work. In the same way, you should make changes in your eating habits if you are overweight, avoid consuming alcohol and tranquilizers before going to sleep and try not to sleep on your back.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
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I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.