Obstructive Sleep Apnea – a quick guide

There are three different types of sleep apnea, ¡°obstructive¡± being the most common, and this is the type we are mainly looking at here. This term, obstructive sleep apnea refers to a breathing disorder which happens when the patient is sleeping and their breathing undergoes brief and repeated interruptions. Sleep apnea was discovered not that long ago, in the 60s, I think. It is more common in drinkers and smokers and people who are overweight.

Sleep apnea has been connected with, strokes, and also cardiopulmonary problems. Obstructive sleep apnea is extremely common, and is reported to affect about twelve million Americans. This condition can be a life-threatening disorder. Unfortunately, the individual who suffers from sleep apnea is usually the last one to know.

Symptoms

Obviously, because symptoms occur when the persons asleep, they are normally first noticed by their partner. Some of the symptoms are noisy and persistent snoring, the stopping and starting of breathing while asleep, and falling asleep at inappropriate times of the day. More signs of sleep apnea are, falling asleep while driving, at work or sitting in a chair. Also depression, forgetfulness, and irritability are some more symptoms to look out for.

You should go and see your doctor if you have daytime sleepiness, or if your family sees any signs of obstructive sleep apnea. Some of the above mentioned symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea may cause a severe impact on the patient¡¯s health and well being, and possibly even relationships. As you can see, this problem can have a knock on effect in a lot of areas of your life

Treatment

Diagnosis and treatment are really essential, and there are a number of treatments available for sleep apnea, including the treatment of the underlying cause. The most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is (CPAP) which stands for, continuous positive airway pressure. The usual treatment for children who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea is removal of the tonsils and also the adenoids. It must be noted that the treatment of sleep apnea can be surgical or nonsurgical.

To end on a positive note, with the correct treatment, it is quite possible for patients with sleep apnea to have a good quality of life. As always if you have any concerns, consult a medical professional.

By James Hunaban | Posted on 2007-09-21 02:33:55

About The Author:

James Hunaban is the owner of http://sleep-apnea.health-info4u.com/ a site full of Sleep Apnea information.

Definition:

Apnea, apnoea, or apn©«a (Greek ¥á¥ð¥í¥ï¥é¥á, from ¥á-, privative, ¥ð¥í¥å¥å¥é¥í, to breathe) is a technical term for suspension of external breathing. During apnea there is no movement of the muscles of respiration and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged. Depending on the patency of the airways there may or may not be a flow of gas between the lungs and the environment; gas exchange within the lungs and cellular respiration is not affected. Apnea can be voluntarily achieved (i.e., "holding one's breath"), drug-induced (e.g., opiate toxicity), mechanically induced (e.g., strangulation), or it can occur as a consequence of neurological disease or trauma.

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