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Many people throughout the world suffer from some kind of sleep apnea. It is a progressive disorder which can cause a multitude of health problems in the long term, and plenty of emotional and physical ailments in the short term. Sufferers of sleep apnea don't sleep in the normal way in which most people do. Usually, once a person falls asleep, that is normally it until they awake some hours later, refreshed and ready for the day ahead.
A person with sleep apnea seldom sleeps soundly. Sleep apnea is a condition which causes the sufferer to repeatedly stop breathing throughout sleep, causing the brain to urgently snap a person out of deep REM sleep repeatedly to allow the person to breathe. There are usually two reasons why this happens, physical obstruction within the airways, or brain malfunction. These two key reasons comprise the two categories of sleep apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA):
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA): Usually a person's brain controls breathing automatically whilst they are awake or asleep. For people who have Central Sleep Apnea, whilst they enter deep REM sleep, their brain for some reason may have trouble delivering the signal to the lungs to instruct them to breathe. This causes all physical breathing attempts by the body to cease, and this may last for a few seconds up to a few minutes until the brain snaps the person out of REM sleep, whereupon breathing starts again. This may happen dozens of times a night.
There is also a third category known as Mixed Sleep Apnea (MSA) , where a person may suffer from both OSA and CSA .
Generally, a sufferer of sleep apnea will get very little good quality rest, therefore particularly on a bad night may be left feeling tired, lethargic, drained, run down, irritable, moody, depressed and generally out of it. Headache may also be another symptom due to the low levels of oxygen received during sleep. It can be bad enough not having a good nights sleep just once, but for somebody with sleep apnea, this can be a recurring situation for days at a time, so you can imagine the mental and physical effects it can have become very severe.
An untreated apneic's health is also greatly compromised in other ways, as many serious disorders and illnesses are directly and indirectly linked to sleep apnea. Some of these are:
- Heart Failure: In the case of Obstructive Sleep Apnea the lungs have to work harder in order to try and draw breath, therefore the heart works harder and can become quite stressed and strained. Over time this can result in right-sided heart failure or damage.
- Irregular Heart Beat, Strokes and Heart Attacks
- Heart Disease: Been constantly supplied an inadequate amount of oxygen throughout sleep can cause heart disease.
- High Blood Pressure
- Arterial Disease: Due to a persistently high blood pressure, this can result in arterial disease.
- Obesity: Because a person isn't getting their full rest, their body's metabolism can slow down, and a person can become more susceptible to gaining weight. In turn, weight can worsen the symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and bring on a multitude of health issues.
- Type 2 Diabetes
Accidents in the workplace or on the road are largely down to tiredness and lack of concentration. Baring this in mind, sleep apnea may become fatal much sooner than you think. If you suspect you may have sleep apnea, you really shouldn't waste time in contacting your G.P. and asking to be tested and diagnosed, as the sooner you receive treatment the less chance the risks and perils of sleep apnea will befall you. |
