Sleep apnea is a sleep breathing condition that the afflicted person
is rarely aware of. Sleep apnea causes the
breathing gaps that occur during sleep. Although
there are a lot of telltale signs or sleep apnea symptoms, most of these signs
are evident during sleep, making it impossible for the sufferer to detect. More often than not, it is the bed partner
that detects the symptoms. Other signs
that manifested during daytime are either commonplace to cause alarm or associated
with other diseases.
One of the most blatant of the sleep apnea symptoms is the excessive
daytime sleepiness or EDS. It is common
for apnea patients to feel sleepy while doing daily activities. Severe cases of sleep apnea makes staying
awake a challenge. Some patients would
fall asleep even without them knowing. This
usually happens during classes, during office works, reading, watching TV and
even while driving. This is a serious
symptom especially when the patient is driving. A lot of fatal road accidents have been
attributed to EDS. This symptom is
credited to the patient’s inability to get restful sleep at night.
Another obvious symptom is snoring. This also often goes without the knowledge of
the patient. Restlessness in sleep, gasping
and choking for air are also sleep apnea symptoms that are better detected by
the patient’s bed partner. These symptoms are due to the obstructions in the
patient’s airways, making normal breathing hard. The breathing gaps results to deprivation of
the oxygen supply to the body which makes the heart pump harder. Constant
stress to the heart could develop to heart failures and diseases. Obstructive
sleep apnea causes include narrow airways, deviated septum, enlarged tongue,
tonsils, adenoids and uvula. These are
common in people who have small jaw frames, large necks and are obese.
Depression is one symptom that is normally attributed to
psychological factors. But this is a
common sleep apnea symptom in severe cases. People who are unable to sleep well do not
perform well, scholastic or career-wise. This leads to patients being irritable, moody
and frustrated. Children often show
anger and rage for unknown reasons. The
frustration over their inability to rest and perform well drew disappointments
that eventually lead to depression. Not
all depressions are caused by sleep apnea, but sleep apnea certainly causes
depression.
Mild sleep apnea symptoms can easily be addressed with healthier
habits and sleep apnea exercises. Constant
tongue, lips and mouth exercises could toughen slack airway muscles and tissues
preventing them from blocking the airways during sleep. Keeping a good diet, active lifestyle and
avoiding vices like smoking, too much alcohol intake and abusive drug use will
also help in keeping sleep apnea in check. Maintaining your ideal weight is also
important.
For more severe cases of sleep apnea, patients can either undergo
corrective surgeries to remove the obstructions. They can also opt for the CPAP
treatment that involves wearing masks that provide the steady supply of
pressurized air. CPAP is not a cure
though. The treatment only alleviates
breathing and eliminates sleep apnea symptoms. It does not remove the blockages that cause
the disorder.
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