Sleep apnea is a syndrome that affects not just adults, but also children as well. This is well characterized by sleepy feeling excessively during the day time and disordered alertness. To put in simply and plain, this is a syndrome that is characterized by daytime dullness, slower times to respond to situations, and problems in the eyesight. It is also commonly termed as a sleep disorder that affects the breathing of an individual.
Why does this happen?
Sleep apnea actually occurs when the air way passage is blocked and the body falls in short of the desired oxygen level. The brain is then triggered and then it sends signals to the respective muscles to breathe in sufficient levels of oxygen. This, in turn disturbs the sleep and the person wakes up with a strong gasp or a choke.
In people who face this disorder, there is a pause in the sleeping process, thus affecting the normal breathing mode. These pauses occur several times, say 5 to 30 times in a normal sleep hour and thus, the person tends to find difficulty in the breathing process. Each pause that occurs and interrupts the normal breathing mode is referred to as hypopnea and thus, can be detected by a mechanism called polysomnogram with ease. This is also referred to as sleep study, and can be a bit expensive. In this study, the sleep modes of the individual are studied and thus, they tend to identify the exact type of sleep apnea problem of the individual.
The different types of sleep apnea
- Obstructive type of sleep apnea is the most common of all. This occurs when the soft muscles of the tissue behind the throat relax during sleep so that the air way is blocked, and thus the individual experiences a difficulty in the breathing process.
- Central type: Central sleep apnea is targeted at the central nervous system of the human body. Unlike the obstructive type, this type of sleep apnea tends to involve the brain and thus acts centrally and is more difficult to treat.
- Mixed: This is a combination of the central and obstructive type of sleep apnea.
How to treat?
A few simple tips of how to overcome this sleep apnea would be to lose weight, quit smoking, maintain long hours of sleep, avoid sleeping pills, and maintain regular sleep habits. However, despite all these options, it is advised that one consults their physician before taking up any preventive measure.
