Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where breathing stops and starts repeatedly. It can be potentially serious. People who have sleep apnea usually and often feel tired even after sleeping a full night.
The three main types of sleep apnea are obstructive sleep apnea which is the most common form that happens when the throat muscles relax, central sleep apnea which is when your brain is not sending the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing and complex sleep apnea syndrome which is a combination of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
Common symptoms are:
- Loud snoring
- Episodes of intermittent pauses in your breathing during sleep
- Waking up abruptly with shortness of breath
- Headaches in the morning
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Attention problems
- Irritability
Once you see your doctor for treatment there are a few ways it could go. For milder cases, the doctor may recommend small lifestyle changes like losing weight or stopping smoking. If these attempts do not improve your symptoms or if your case is a moderate to severe, there are several other treatments available.
A resmed cpap machine may be necessary. A resmed cpap machine stands for continuous positive airway pressure and helps the person with sleep apnea to breathe more easily during sleep by increasing air pressure in the throat so that the airway doesn’t collapse. The air is delivered through a mask that is placed over the nose while sleeping.
The resmed cpap machine is the most common method of treating sleep apnea although some people find it uncomfortable. It does take some getting used to and adjusting the tension of the straps could be all it needs to fit better. There are a few types of cpap masks that you can use. You may just have to try the different kinds before finding the one that suits you.
If all treatments fail, then surgery is the last option. The surgical options include tissue removal, jaw re positioning, implants or creating a new airway passage. There are other surgeries that would help the contributing factors and consequently improve sleep apnea. These include weight-loss surgery, nasal surgery or tonsil removal.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should see a doctor right away. He may perform a home sleep test to find out which treatment would be best for you depending on the type of sleep apnea you have. Sleep apnea can not only lower your quality of life, but also your partner’s life as they deal with it, even during your waking hours so make sure you do all you can to treat it.