Sleep Apnea

*Courtesy to Snoring Centre - Dr Craig Schwimmer and Good Morning Texas

IN THIS WEBSITE:

> What is sleep apnea?

> Effect of sleep apnea

> Sleep Apnea effect self-help

> Consequences of Sleep apnea

> Sleep Apnea Treatment

What is Sleep Apnea or Sleep Snoring?

Sleep apnea is classified into two types - Obstructive and Central sleep apnea. The commonly known condition is obstructive sleep apnea which causes one's throat muscles to relax so much that the air passages is blocked during sleep. People who suffer from obstrctive sleep apnea usually snore loudly during their sleep.

Central sleep apnea is the condition where the brain does not send proper signal to the muscles that control breathing.

Effect of Sleep Apnea

People who are suffering from either Central or Obstructive sleep apnea may experience

excessive daytime sleepiness
depression
memory difficulty
irregular heartbeat
Loud snoring
dry mouth or sore throat after waking up

Sleep Apnea Self-help

Mild sleep apnea is responsive to self-help. The followings are treatments for sleep apnea

Cut down or stop the use of alcohol, tobacco, and sedatives such as sleeping pills. Avoiding the use such things can reduce the chances of airway closure during the night.

Sleep on one side.Sleep apnea normally happens when people sleep on their backs.People with sleep apnea can sleep on their side to reduce airway closure during the night.

Loss weight. Individuals with sleep apnea are frequently overweight. These individuals who make an effort to reduce their weight can reduce sleep apnea during the night and dramatically improve the quality of their sleep.

Consequences of untreated Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea can be dangerous if left untreated. Sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems and weight gain. The followings are some possible consequences that untreated sleep apnea can bring.

Sudden death during sleep1.

High blood pressure or Hypertension2.

Heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly (Heart arrhythmias)3

Excessive daytime sleepiness

Sleep Apnea Treatment

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
Dental appliances, oral devices, and lower jaw adjustment devices
Surgery as treatment

References

(Day-night pattern of sudden death in obstructive sleep
apnea. Gami et. al, New England Journal of Medicine. 2005 Mar 24:352(12):1206-14.)
(Hla KM, et. al., Sleep Apnea and Hypertension: A population - Based
Study, Annals of Internal Medicine. 1994;120:382-388.)
(Hoffstein et. al., Cardiac Arrhythmias, Snoring and Sleep Apnea. Chest 1994;106:466-471)
Snoring Centre and Good Morning Texas