Sleep apnea is an extremely common sleep disorder which affects more than 12 million Americans and is now as commonplace as adult diabetes.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as its name indicates, is caused by an obstruction to your airways which produces difficulties with breathing. There is also a second type of sleep apnea called central sleep apnea, in which your brain does not adequately control your breathing during sleep. A significant number of people suffer from mixed sleep apnea, which is a combination of obstructive sleep apnea and central forms of this sleep disorder.
Sleep apnea symptoms can arise at any time and, although they are most frequently found in overweight men who are over forty, they can be seen in men and women at any age and are being seen more and more nowadays in children.
The most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is of course a hard symptom to spot yourself and normally needs to be pointed out to you by a sleeping partner. Snoring has several different causes and the presence of snoring is not in itself an indication that you have sleep apnea. The majority of sleep apnea sufferers will snore.
The second most noticeable symptom is abnormal tiredness during the day. Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing regularly throughout the night and your body's instinctive reaction to this is to arouse you just sufficiently for you to start breathing again, but not enough for you to be aware of the fact that you are being awakened. The result is that your sleep is extremely light and continually interrupted and you cannot enjoy the deep sleep that the body needs in order to recharge its batteries. Consequently, in time, you find that you are getting ever more tired and sleepy during the day.
Without treatment, the affects of sleep apnea will begin to become increasingly evident and a range of additional symptoms will start to appear. These may include headaches (particularly first thing in the morning), irritability and sometimes depression. You could also notice that you are starting to put on weight.
One less obvious symptom of sleep apnea is raised blood pressure which can lead to several cardiovascular difficulties. This will be seen if you are among the increasing number of individuals who now monitor their blood pressure regularly at home but may not otherwise be picked up until you undergo a routine physical exam at your physician's office.
Yet another increasingly seen symptom is that of learning difficulties and difficulties with memory. Again this is not easy to see yourself but family and friends could well notice that you are no longer as quick on the uptake as you once were.
A few sleep apnea sufferers will notice a decline in their sexual function and this can lead to impotency.
As is the case with with the majority of conditions individual symptoms could be a sign of almost anything. But, when you start to see these symptoms coming together then you should think about talking to your doctor and possibly consider having yourself tested for sleep apnea.
One word of warning. Sleep apnea testing will often involve referral to a sleep specialist, preferably one who is certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM), and might mean being subjected to overnight sleep testing either in a special sleep laboratory or at home. Such testing will often cost more than $1,000 and you should check with your health insurer before you commit yourself to a program of sleep apnea testing.
Author Resource:-
Help-Me-To-Sleep.com offers information and advice on a range of different sleep disorders including sleep apnea and looks at sleep apnea treatment amongst other things. We also look in detail at finding a natural insomnia remedy
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