Guide to Sleep Apnea and 6 Warning Signs that You May Have This Serious Sleep Disorder

It's estimated that as many as 18 million Americans suffer from a serious sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. From the Greek word meaning "want of breath", sleep apnea is a serious condition which if left undiagnosed and untreated, can be potentially life threatening.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that occurs while you sleep. With it, your breathing literally stops or pauses briefly a number of times during any given night. These pauses in breathing or "apneic events", may happen as many as 20 to 60 times per hour or more. Sleep apnea is categorized as central or obstructive. Central sleep apnea happens when your brain doesn't send the proper signals to the muscles involved with breathing to being respiration. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when mechanical or structural airway problems prevent the flow of air into or out of your mouth or nose in spite of continued efforts to breathe.

What are the Warning Signs of Sleep Apnea?

If you are experiencing any of the following problems, you may have sleep apnea:

• Loud snoring

• Choking sounds or gasping for breath

• Inability to fall asleep

• Excessive daytime sleepiness

• Falling asleep during normal daytime activities

• Feeling unrefreshed when you wake up

There are other symptoms of sleep apnea which include, morning headaches, waking up several times during the night, night sweats and frequent urinating. Also, if you're middle aged, overweight and have a large neck, you may have this sleep disorder.

How Can You Be Sure That You Have Sleep Apnea?

Your primary doctor will have to refer you to a specialist trained in sleep medicine. If the sleep specialist suspects sleep apnea or some other sleep disorder, he or she will arrange for you to have an overnight sleep study. The sleep study, the most common of which is a polysomnography, is
conducted in a sleep center in the specialist's office or in the hospital. It can take at least 10 days for the sleep specialist to completely analyze the data from the polysomnography. Once the results come back, the doctor will be able to tell you whether or not you have sleep apnea, the type, the severity and his or her recommendation for treatment.

Wondering how serious this sleep disorder is? Untreated sleep apnea can be disrupt your life, your career and your relationships. In some cases, the consequences can be grave. According to the Sleep Foundation, drivers suffering from sleep apnea are 3 or more times likely to be in car
accidents. It can result in depression, effect your memory and ability to learn. Sleep apnea also contributes to high blood pressure. An estimated 50 percent of sleep apnea patients have high blood pressure. The greatest risk from this sleep disorder, however, is stroke or heart attack.

If you, someone you know or anyone having a sleep partner who suffers from the sleep apnea warning signs mentioned in this article, don't take it lightly. Seek medical assistance from a sleep specialist immediately.