What Do You Need To Know About Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a popularly known sleep disorder whereby the breathing of a person stops and starts repeatedly while they are sleeping. Symptoms of sleep apnea may include loud snoring, daytime sleepiness or a restless sleep. The breathing’s involuntary pause may be a signaling problem in your brain or may result due to a blockage of airway. A lot of people with this condition always have first kind which is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The sleep apnea arising from a signaling problem is called central sleep apnea (CSA).
A person may repeatedly stop breathing unknowingly throughout their sleep. When the airway opens or breathing signal is picked up, a person can snort, have a very deep breath, or even wake up completely with a gasping, choking or smothering sensation.
When sleep apnea is left untreated, it may cause potentially severe health complications like depression and heart disease. A person may also be left feeling drowsy and this may lead to high accident risks while working or driving.
How Can Sleep Apnea Be Treated?
Sleep apnea is a popular problem which is a result of overall health decrease or the life-threatening complications that are of a higher risk. These complications may include difficulty in concentration, vehicle accidents, depression, stroke and heart attack.
There are different treatment methods but this mostly depends on the cause of apnea and its level. A person with apnea is treated with a goal of normalizing breathing during their sleep.
Normalizing the breathing may have the effects below on apnea:
- It can eliminate fatigue during the day.
- It can take away the risk of changes in mental health arising from lack of adequate sleep or apnea.
- It may help in prevention of cardiovascular changes which are caused by much strain of the improper breathing.
How can lifestyle changes help in normalizing breathing?
The lifestyle changes may be very essential in normalizing breathing. They are the first steps which are critical in treatment and they may include:
- Side sleeping
- Smoking cessation
- Alcohol cessation
- Weight loss
What are the other treatment options?
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy –It is the best way of treatment of sleep apnea. This ensures that the airway is kept open by providing a gentle and constant positive pressure air stream through the mask. CPAP Direct can sort you with the best masks in case you are facing the trouble of sleep apnea. There are people who may have a problem of using CPAP and may stop treatment prior to the achievement of any benefit that can last. However, different measures may be taken to ensure that the equipment has more comfort and the adjustment period smoother.
- Mandibular repositioning device (MRD) – This is an oral appliance which is custom-made and suits the individuals who have moderate or mild OSA. The mouthpiece keeps hold of the jaw in a forward positioning as you sleep and this will help in expansion of the space that is behind your tongue.
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