What is Sleep Apnea? How Can it Be Treated?

Sleep apnea derives its name from the Greek word "apnea", which literally means "without breath". If a person stops breathing for more than ten seconds while they are asleep, they could well have sleep apnea. A common symptom is loud snoring and sleepiness during the daytime.

There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and mixed. Of the three types of sleep apnea, obstructive is the most common. There is a different root cause of each type of sleep apnea, but with all three, people with untreated sleep apnea, will stop breathing throughout the night, sometimes hundreds of times and for up to a minute or longer.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage in the airway. This is usually due to the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapsing and closing during sleep. With central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked, but the brain does not send out the appropriate signal for the muscles to relax. Mixed apnea, as the name suggests, is a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea. With each apnea, the brain rouses the person from sleep in order for them to resume breathing. As a result, sleep becomes very fragmented and not at all restorative.

Sleep apnea is a common ailment, as common as adult onset diabetes. According to the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 12 million people in America suffer from sleep apnea, with an estimated 10 million sufferers in the country still undiagnosed. Risk factors for sleep apnea include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty. However, sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, including children. The lack of awareness by the general public, as well as by physicians, means that the majority of sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated. This is despite the fact that sleep apnea is a serious condition that can have very significant consequences.

If left untreated, sleep apnea can cause life threatening illnesses such as high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, memory loss, weight gain, impotency and headaches. Untreated sleep apnea could also account for poor job performance and car crashes. But, there are treatments available for sleep apnea. Doctors will look at the individual's medical history and the severity of their disorder before deciding upon an appropriate treatment option. Lifestyle changes can help sufferers deal with sleep apnea, such as avoiding alcohol, oral appliances and even surgery. The most common treatment for sleep apnea is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The CPAP machine works by pushing air through the airway at a high enough pressure to keep the airway open during sleep. Several other treatment options are also available.

If you suspect that you or a loved one suffer from sleep apnea, contact your physician and make an appointment. Left untreated, sleep apnea can rob a person of a good quality of life and it can lead to potentially life threatening illnesses.

Source:

http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/index.html

http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/media/factsheet.html