Sleep apnea is a common, but serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person has one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during the sleep. Sometimes the person wakes up completely, but sometimes this can mean the person comes out of a deep level of sleep and into a more shallow level of sleep. This results in feelings of fatigue and poor sleep quality that makes tired during the day.
Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, even children. However, it is more likely to occur in men than women, and in people who are overweight or obese. People who are overweight, have high blood pressure or snore loudly have bigger chance to have or develop apnea. Sometimes the structure of the jaw and airway can be a factor in this sleep disorder. Most people who have apnea don’t realize that they actually have it because it only occurs during sleep.
The most typical symptoms of sleep apnea include restless sleep, loud snoring with periods of silence followed by gasps , falling asleep during the day, morning headaches, trouble concentrating, irritability, forgetfulness, mood or behavior changes, anxiety, and depression.
There are two types of sleep apnea, the more common obstructive apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax, and the less common central apnea, when breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite effort.
The treatment may be either surgical or nonsurgical. There are surgical procedures that can be used to remove and tighten tissue and widen the airway, but the success rate is not high. Special pillows or devices that keep from sleeping on the back, or oral appliances to keep the airway open during sleep are usually recommended to people with sleep apnea.
For apnea patients, it can be also helpful to hold the lower jaw slightly down and forward relative to the natural, relaxed position. This position holds the tongue farther away from the back of the airway, and may be enough to relieve apnea or improve breathing for some patients.
However, the proper treatment demands lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, losing weight, avoiding alcohol and medications that relax the central nervous system, as these factors increase the frequency and duration of breathing pauses in people with sleep apnea.
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