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Sleep Apnea - An Extremely Common and
Dangerous Sleep Disorder
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Sleep apnea refers to a sleep
disorder characterized by the interruption of breathing during
sleep, such that respiration stops for ten or more seconds,
cutting off valuable oxygen supplies to the brain. This
interruption of the body's breathing cycle can recur hundreds of
times each night, with potentially fatal results. Even more
alarming, sleep apnea, the most dangerous of all sleep
disorders, also represents one of the most commonly identified
sleep disorders, affecting as many as eighteen million Americans
each year.
This condition can be divided into two primary categories.
"Central sleep apnea", caused by a neurological malfunction in
which the brain somehow disrupts the normal signal to breathe
and "Obstructive sleep apnea", characterized by the excessive
relaxation or the collapse of muscles around the windpipe, which
in turn causes windpipe obstruction. Both forms involve the
frequent cessation of breathing and the temporary suspension of
the oxygen supply to the brain, putting sleep apnea sufferers at
a significantly greater risk of high blood pressure, heart
attack and stroke.
Diagnosing sleep apnea can be difficult. Snoring, one of the
most common symptoms associated with sleep apnea (resulting in
many people referring to this as "the snoring disease"), often
leads to an erroneous diagnosis of the condition. In fact,
snoring can be associated with a variety of other sleep
disorders and conditions unrelated to sleep apnea.
When the brain senses a lack of oxygen, as a result of an
obstructed windpipe, it reacts by waking the suffer sufficiently
to start breathing again, often causing snoring or sometimes
coughing. As a result, sleep apnea suffers enjoy a very poor
quality of sleep and wake up feeling even more tired than before
they went to bed.
Feelings of exhaustion, fatigue and an overwhelming desire to
sleep during the day, known as excessive daytime sleepiness,
characterize sleep apnea; especially if seen in conjunction with
other symptoms such as morning headaches, noticeable lethargy,
loss of interest in sex, forgetfulness and difficulty
concentrating.
The ongoing exhaustion and physical fatigue brought on by
undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea can also lead to the onset
of serious psychological symptoms such as depression,
irritability and changes in mood and behavior.
If you suspect that you are suffering from sleep apnea, you
should seek immediate medical guidance and, if necessary,
arrange the appropriate tests.
There are a variety of effective treatments available for both
obstructive and central sleep apnea. Most patients benefit
significantly from one or more of these treatments, which
primarily involve simple behavioral adjustments like changing or
modifying your sleeping position. Sufferers of mild obstructive
sleep apnea as a result of persistent nasal congestion may
simply require a course of decongestants, while more severe
sleep apnea may need the use of an oxygen mask to stimulate
consistent breathing while asleep. In severe cases of
obstructive sleep apnea, certain surgical procedures can help to
restore effective and consistent respiration during sleep,
although sufferers should proceed down this particular route
with caution, as surgery can often lead to added complications.
One important point to note is that, because of the risk of
potentially fatal respiratory arrest, sleep apnea sufferers
should refrain from taking sleeping pills or artificial sleep
enhancers because of the associated respiratory dangers.
Natural sleep remedies provide an effective complement to
medically prescribed treatments and can certainly help sufferers
to enjoy a better night's sleep. Herbal remedies designed to
improve the quality and duration of sleep can assist patients in
managing and even reducing the excessive daytime sleepiness
otherwise brought on by sleep apnea.
Similarly, the use of aromatherapy, chromatherapy and guided
relaxation and meditation can help to reduce the anxiety and
insomnia sleep apnea patients experience as they learn to manage
their sleep disorder. |
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