For many sleepers the night goes by as normal. They got o sleep and most of the time they sleep well rested and happy. But for a lot more people the night brings more than rest and relaxation. Sleep apnea effects a large number of the people in this country and its nothing to just shrug off because sleep apnea can be dangerous and even deadly. According to the Houston Herald, “Sleep apnea occurs when the tissues in the throat block a persons airway while sleeping.” This is the same for snoring.
For most that may sounds scary in in fact is can cause some very serious health problems. From heart disease to mental fatigue that can become chronic and never get any better. Those who suffer from sleep apnea may appear to just be snoring, but in fact snoring is a health issue that shouldn't be over looked. For most snoring may be the first and possibly the only sign of sleep apnea. So the next time a person is snoring don't just shrug it off, talk to them about getting checked for sleep apnea.
People with sleep apnea can still sleep all night but they may wake feeling as if they got no rest at all. People with sleep apnea have been known not to complain about lack of sleep but instead complain about feeling sluggish in the day time. This is because the body is being deprived of oxygen to the brain as the sufferer sleeps. Once they wake then they have been deprived of O2 all night long, this is not good for the brain nor the heart.
If you struggle to stay awake in the day and at night you snore, you are a prime candidate for sleep apnea screening. There are medications that can be taken before sleep and there is new technology that will aid the person in sleeping better, such as oxygen machines. These machines are small and compact and are specifically made to be worn while the person is sleeping without interrupting their sleep. No snoring can be heard with these machines and when the person wakes they feel rested.
The American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) recommend:
1- Avoiding alcohol and other depressants, such as sleeping medications because these drugs relax the body even more making the muscles in the throat even less responsive and more prone to closure during sleep which results in lack of O2 and snoring.
2- Changing your sleep position, some people have better success doing this because either on your belly or side the muscle flap in the throat is not closed by gravity.
3- Lose weight, this is because the extra pounds will always put weight on your neck and result in pressure on the airways closing off needed oxygen while sleeping no matter what position you sleep in. The results again are snoring.
We all understand that when the brain is deprived of oxygen that bad things happen. One of the first things that take place is that the person feels like they want to go to sleep. This is because the brain can not function with out an adequate oxygen supply. This is why the next day the person feels so sleepy and wants to nap all the time or they may just feel sluggish like they have no energy. After a long pattern of sleep apnea the lack of oxygen and strain on the body at night can cause severe heart disease.
The National Commission on Sleep estimates that sleep apnea is related to 38,000 heart disease related deaths. Sleep apnea has also been linked to several chronic conditions including, high blood pressure, obesity, depression and diabetes. Those that are untreated for sleep apnea have a four times more chance of suffering a stroke in life than those that get help. Although snoring is related to sleep apnea it does not mean that all who snore have sleep apnea and that all who don't do not.
Here are the symptoms of sleep apnea, check yourself and if you believe there is a severe problem with sleep apnea it is recommended to see a doctor about the condition before long term health effects set in:
-Long-term daytime sleepiness
-Fatigue
-Mood swings
-Morning headaches
-Difficulty concentrating
If you think sleep apnea only causes problems with your sleep quality and health then think about the law of cause and effect. If you are a severe sleep apnea sufferer and work a job that requires you to run heavy equipment then you could be at work and sluggish which could result in the life of yourself or other person. You could simply be driving to work or anywhere and because you suffer at night and are tired in the day you could be the cause of a traffic accident taking the life of yourself or another.
Sleep apnea has been known to cause problems in school because of lack of concentration, on the job in relationships and in some cases it can prove to be dangerous as in the example given above. A conservative measure by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that sleep-deprived driving leads to an average of 100, 000 automobile accidents a year and 1,550 deaths each year. Quoting the Houston Herald news paper out of Houston, Missouri, “ The best way to fight this sleeping giant is through awareness”.
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