Sleep apnea is a medical condition where there is a reduction or complete pause in breathing while a person is sleeping. Breathing normally stops for a period of ten seconds or more in a person suffering from sleep apnea and breathing reduces by 25% than normal. Though the most common symptom of sleep apnea is loud snoring, not all people who snore have sleep apnea.
Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that signal this sleeping disorder but as this disorder takes place when one is sleeping these symptoms can be hard to point out. Some of the common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
o Morning headaches
o Mood swings, irritability and sometimes depression
o Trouble in concentrating or remembering things
o A need to urinate in the night
o Waking up feeling very thirsty
o Tendency to gasp for breath and wake up in the middle of the night
All or some of these symptoms are accompanied with loud snoring, which tends to get worse if the person suffering from this disorder sleeps on his/her back.
Causes
This sleeping disorder has been related to a number of causes with the primary one being a blockage in the nasal passage. This blockage leads to breathing obstruction which causes the loud snoring and also the pause in breathing, parched throat and restless sleep.
Some of the primary causes of this sleeping disorder can be linked to:
o Being overweight
o Having large tonsils or adenoids
o A deviated nasal septum
o Nasal blockage or congestion because of chronic cold or allergies
o Use of stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine or recreational drugs
Studies show that men more than women are more at a risk of being diagnosed with sleep apnea. Post menopausal women are the ones who are at risk of being detected with this disorder while one out of twenty five men are diagnosed with sleep apnea. This condition can be further aggravated or even induced because of the use of Club drugs or recreational drugs such as ecstasy or methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA), as these drugs alter the brain wave patterns while a person is asleep.
Diagnosis & Cure
An isolated incident of waking up suddenly in the middle of the night feeling parched and thirsty does not indicate sleep apnea. Chronic snoring alone too is not an indicator of this disorder. However, one must listen closely to his/her body to find out if there is something that the body is trying to say. So, if you suspect that you are suffering from sleep apnea, you must visit your doctor or a medical practitioner who will be able to make a diagnosis post study of your family history along with a number of tests. These tests are conducted by specialists for the lungs, ear, nose and throat and nerves.
Going to sleep specialists also helps as they study sleeping patterns to diagnose sleep apnea and then suggest a treatment course.
There are a number of things that one can do to get relief from this sleeping disorder. These include:
o Losing weight
o Abstaining from stimulants and recreational drugs
o Sleeping on your side and elevating your head
o Using nasal aspirators or saline sprays to open blocked nasal passages
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