Sleep apnea is a serious yet little understood disorder. In order to successfully diagnose and treat sleep apnea, it’s important to understand it. Here’s what you need to know:
What is Sleep Apnea?
By definition, sleep apnea is considered a sleep disorder that deal with the obstruction of the airways, making it difficult for a person to breathe while sleeping. People who go untreated with this serious sleep disorder may stop breathing hundreds of times during the sleeping cycle, if not more.
Sleep apnea can be broken down into two categories:
- Central Sleep Apnea is defined by WebMD as a failure for the brain to signal the muscles to breathe.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most common form of sleep apnea that occurs when there a blockage of an airway.
- Being overweight or obese
- Being born with biological male hormones
- Being older than 40
- Having disproportionate large tonsils or a small jaw
- Having a large neck
- Having digestive disorders, such as GERD or acid reflux>/li>
- A Nasal obstruction, such as a deviated septum or chronic allergies
What Are Sleep Apnea Causes?
When it comes to sleep apnea, there are some factors that are likely cause the disorder:
What are the Effects?
Sleep apnea is a serious disease that can affect a person’s blood pressure if untreated, leading to a higher chance of strokes, and heart failure. Additional effects of sleep apnea include diabetes, depression, an exacerbation of ADHD, and headaches.
How Do You Treat Sleep Apnea?
For those who are overweight and suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, losing weight is often a surefire way to mitigate or completely eliminate the occurrence of the disorder.
For those seeking immediate relief, the use of sleep apnea machines, such as CPAP machines, help to open up the sufferer’s airways, allowing them to breathe once more. However, CPAP machines are often expesnive; instead, many buy used CPAP machines. Used CPAP machines are often far less expensive and similar, if not the same, in quality and results.
