[LSNN] Snoring and feeling exhausted when you wake up? Be aware of sleep apnea

[draZ]

 

Snoring and feeling exhausted when you wake up? Be aware of sleep apnea

BY SCOTT POWELL

 

Perhaps everyone knows that person. You're trying to fall asleep, but it's impossible due to the nasty and annoying snoring sound. But if you are the person, you can get embarrassed very easily as you become the laughing-stock, but the sound is the least of this embarrassing problem. Such person can suffer from several problems including irritability, inattention, headaches and fatigue in general. Snoring itself is caused by releasing the soft palate, which then begins to vibrate, but the whole problem is way more complex. 

 

 

Sleeping apnea is quite a serious sleep disorder in which a patient basically stops breathing. That increases the pressure in the airways followed by the so-called micro-awakening, the breath is subsequently restored. Thus, the disease not only impairs the oxygen input, but also the quality of sleep and the health of the patient overall. 

 

The diagnosis of sleeping apnea is pretty interesting. There are sleep centers and even sleep laboratories dealing with the diagnosis of this energy-consuming disorder. The patient will be hospitalized in the sleeping lab where the physicians will look after his respiration and many more bodily functions as he sleeps there through the night. Monitoring can also take place right at your home through a device the patient would get from the physicians dealing with his diagnosis process. 

 

The biggest risk factors regarding sleeping apnea can be multiple; obese people are four times more likely to develop this disease as their fat deposits in the upper respiratory tract can contribute to the development of the disease. People with larger neck circumference have a higher risk either. Alcohol, drugs, sedatives, opiates and smoking also increases the risk of suffering from sleeping apnea as it can either cause inflammatory processes in the throat and water retention in the upper respiratory tract or relieve the throat muscles. There are also a couple of factors you can't really fight with; higher age, genetic predisposition, stroke and heart diseases in general.

 

Do you suffer from this problem and want to know more? For a more academic explanation, I invited an expert and also the director of Hope Health Group, Dr. Shalimar F. Joy, MD.

 

How does the process of diagnosing sleep apnea look like?

 

 

The diagnostic standard for obstructive sleep apnea is nocturnal polysomnography in a sleep laboratory. Polysomnography is a test done while the patient is asleep. The doctor attaches monitoring devices to the patient's scalp, face, chest, abdomen, and legs. The patient goes to sleep naturally and the doctor monitors and records data about his sleep patterns. This data will help him chart the sleep cycles and diagnose any sleep disorders, including Sleep Apnea. The collected data consists of brain waves, skeletal muscle activity, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, breathing rate, and eye movements. 

 

A sleep study registers your body’s shifts between the stages of sleep, which are rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. During REM sleep, your brain activity is high, but only your eyes and breathing muscles are active. This is the stage in which you dream. Non-REM sleep involves slower brain activity.

 

A person without a sleep disorder will switch between non-REM and REM sleep, experiencing multiple sleep cycles per night. Observing your sleep cycles, along with your body’s reactions to the changes in these cycles, can help identify disruptions in your sleep patterns.

 

How do you treat/cure this disorder?

 

 

The treatment depends on the severity of the condition, the primary source of the condition, and the patient's situation. For milder cases, the doctor may recommend only lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting smoking. If the cause is nasal allergies, a treatment with antihistamines will be recommended. 

 

If these measures didn't improve the signs and symptoms, or if the condition is severe, there are several treatments available. 

 

 - The most common treatment is a device called CPAP - Continuous positive airway pressure. The device delivers air pressure through a mask while you're asleep and opens up the blocked airways.

- Treatment for associated medical problems - Possible causes of central sleep apnea include heart or neuromuscular disorders, and treating those conditions might help. 

- Supplemental oxygen - Using supplemental oxygen while you sleep might help if you have central sleep apnea. Various forms of oxygen are available with devices to deliver oxygen to your lungs.

 

Surgery is usually only an option after other treatments have failed. Generally, at least a three-month trial of other treatment options is suggested before considering surgery. However, for a small number of people with certain jaw structure problems, it's a good first option, since they are unable to properly utilize the CPAP devices. 

 

 

 

 

> Comments are enabled

 

Username: 

Comment:

Edited April 22, 2021 by draZ