If you or your partner noticed that you are snoring and gasping or choking sounds when you sleep recently or have been doing so for a period of time, it might be a warning sign that you might have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that is a common sleep disorder that causes one to stop breathing repeatedly during sleep. You are not alone, nearly 30 million adults in the United States have OSA, and affects 1 billion people worldwide. Here are 6 key facts about sleep apnea that you should know.
There are 2 types of sleep apnea namely obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA), OSA is the most common form and it occurs when the throat muscles relax during sleep causing soft tissue to collapse and block the airway where one is not able to breathe and the body wakes you up, while CSA less common occurs when the body stops trying to breathe during sleep due to instability in the body’s central nervous system to control breathing.
Sleep apnea can occur at any age even infants especially CSA due to a developmental problem or a result of another medical condition, while pediatric is more common in children and caused by large tonsils and adenoids that block the airway during sleep and usually if the condition is affecting the child’s daily life the pediatrician will recommend surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoids.
As part of aging, the risk of sleep apnea increases with age, especially women are more likely to have sleep apnea after menopause, and the severity of sleep apnea tends to worsen over time even though it tends to plateau around the age of 65 one can still develop it later in life.
Out of 30 million American adults with sleep apnea, about 23.5 million remain undiagnosed as one fail to recognize that snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, especially women tend not to realize snoring and underestimate the loudness but are more likely to report symptoms such as fatigue or insomnia as compared to men.
If sleep apnea is left untreated, it can cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and depression.
Obesity is the most important risk factor for sleep apnea and adopting a healthy lifestyle can reduce sleep apnea severity and improve breathing during sleep. If you are smoking and drinking alcohol, do consider quitting or reducing the amount progressively. For mild or moderate sleep apnea patients, sometimes changing the sleeping position to the side instead of on the back does help with snoring as sleep apnea usually occurs when one sleeps on their back.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring, daytime sleepiness, irritability, and low energy, it is important to consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis early and the underlying issue of the cause of sleep apnea. Depending on your financial situation and sleep apnea condition, the doctor will work through with you the type of sleep apnea test in the comfort of your home or an in-lab sleep test to determine the precise nature of your condition to avoid any long-term issues. Besides most insurance companies now pay for sleep testing and CPAP OSA treatment, early intervention with a sleep apnea device can stop snoring or one can a sleep apnea CPAP trial from the equipment supplier or distributor that distributes a range of sleep apnea machine and CPAP supplies for a better quality of sleep and healthier overall well-being.
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