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Sleep apnea is a condition which causes a person to stop breathing during sleep. There are three kinds of sleep apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea and Mixed Sleep Apnea (which is a combination of the two aforementioned). In the case of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it is a physical obstruction within the airways which causes a person to be unable to breathe during sleep, and after what may be several seconds, a person may suddenly gasp for air, before returning to sleep. Central Sleep Apnea is a condition within the brain where the automatic physical breathing process somehow sporadically cuts out during sleep. A person may stop breathing altogether for a few seconds to two minutes before breathing starts again.
As these symptoms were experienced whilst in a state of sleep, usually a person has no recollection they suffered breathing difficulty. It is usually the tell tale signs of tiredness, lethargy, and oxygen starvation such as headaches when a person awakes that are noticed. The problem is most people do not make the link between these symptoms and sleep apnea, so many people go undiagnosed. In fact, it is usually down to the person sharing the sufferers' bed which notice these disturbances during sleep and inform their partner they suffered breathing difficulty.
If you don't have a partner who shares your bed, one way you can discover your sleeping habits is by using either a voice activated recording device, or better still, a camcorder.
If you're partner has alerted you of your breathing difficulties during sleep, and you have noticed some sleep apnea symptoms whilst awake such as persistent tiredness, headaches, loss of concentration etc. you should visit your G.P. with any evidence you have and asked to be tested for sleep apnea. |
