Having several friends with Sleep Apnea I have often heard bits and pieces of what life is like dealing with it. Wanting to know more, and to hopefully find ways to help, I found this article that sheds a little light on what sleep apnea is in lay-mans terms.
Sleep apnea is a condition which affects the way one breathes when you’re sleeping, and it’s important to know sleep apnea causes to prevent it from worsening. It is the reduction (by 25%) or the pause of air flow while you breathe during sleep. These pauses usually last for about 10-20 seconds and occur repeatedly through the night. When apnea occurs, it usually disrupts sleep and prevents you from getting good sleep due to the reduced amount of oxygen in your blood. Once sleep apnea causes are correctly diagnosed it is much easier to treat and deal with.
A serious cause of sleep apnea can often lead to high blood pressure, stroke, insomnia and mood swings. Sleep apnea often goes unrecognised and hence remains untreated, posing a threat to your health. Therefore to be able to treat it well, it is important to learn the sleep apnea causes.
There are generally 3 types of sleep apnea, each with differing symptoms, sleep apnea causes and results.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Causes
This is the most common type of sleep apnea, this occurs when the muscles on the back of your throat are trying to breathe but are unable to due obstruction of the airway, preventing proper air flow and thereby as a result of dropping oxygen levels you wake up to draw a sharp breathe. The main obstructive sleep apnea cause is when the airway in an individual is narrower than normal, when you lie flat the throat muscles relax and fall back obstructing the airway. People with obstructive sleep apnea mostly don’t remember the interruptions and in fact believe they slept well all night.
Central Sleep Apnea Causes
This second type is when the brain fails to instruct the muscles at the back of the throat to breathe and hence no action to take a breath is taken. This form is most rare and people with central sleep apnea rarely ever snore. This type of sleep apnea is usually seen in infants or adults with heart or cerebrovascular disease, it can however also be caused by medicines and high altitude. In infants or adults with the afore mentioned diseases, when there is a long term increase of carbon dioxide in the blood, the brain ignores the oxygen level and monitors only the blood carbon dioxide level, thereby determining the next breath. In doing this the control of breathing slows, the body is trying to exhale more than inhale and the rate of breathing hence decreases. Judging by the central sleep apnea causes, it can be diagnosed with a sleep study or through a overnight monitor.
Combination/Mixed Sleep Apnea Causes
Combination/Mixed Sleep Apnea is caused by combination of Obstructive Sleep Apnea causes and Central Sleep Apnea causes. When both occur alternatively or even sparsely in the same night it is called combination sleep apnea. This kind of sleep apnea occurs when there is an obstruction in the upper airway, similar to the obstructive sleep apnea cause. In addition there is also a problem with the rhythm of breathing in and out and the lapse of effort breathing from time to time.
Having studied sleep apnea causes and diagnosed the type, it is much easier to treat and deal with.
Original Article Here
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Nathan says: Clearly sleep apnea is a serious matter that will require more research into the symptoms, effects, and treatments. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with.
How about you? What has your experience been with sleep apnea?
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