What is sleep apnia?*
Apnea (* US spelling Apnea : UK spelling Apnoea) comes from a Greek word meaning "without breath." Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder which causes you to stop breathing for brief periods during sleep.
How do I know if I have it?
· You have excessive daytime sleepiness
· Your breathing becomes obstructed during sleep.
(Your partner would be aware of this rather than you)
In addition you may suffer any of the following:
· You snore loudly
· You wake up with a dry mouth
· You get morning headaches
· You feel depressed
· You are overweight or experience rapid weight gain
· You have high blood pressure
· You perspire a lot during sleep
· You get heartburn
· You have a reduced libido
Is there a cure for Apnea?
The bad news is that there is no cure for it. Apnea is a disorder not an illness. It also gets worse as you get older.
How dangerous is it?
The risks of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea include:
· heart attacks, strokes
· impotence
· irregular heartbeat
· high blood pressure and heart disease.
Sleep Apnea causes daytime sleepiness that can result in accidents, lost productivity and interpersonal relationship problems. The severity of the symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe.
What treatments are available?
Mild Sleep Apnea is usually treated by simple behavioural changes:
· Losing weight
· Sleeping on your side
· Use of a mouth device to help keep the airway open when you sleep. (This would also reduce snoring.)
Moderate to severe Sleep Apnea is usually treated with a C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure). C-PAP is a machine that blows air into your nose via a nose mask, keeping the airway open and unobstructed.
For severe apnea, there is a Bi-level (Bi-PAP) machine. The Bi-level machine is different in that it blows air at two different pressures. When a person inhales, the pressure is higher and in exhaling, the pressure is lower.
How to find out more?
There is an excellent book about Sleep Apnia and snoring available here.
To find out more about snoring problems go to http://sleepapniaandsnoring.wordpress.com
I hope you understand a little more about the nature of Sleep Apnia. Please do visit your GP if you are concerned that you may be suffering from it. It could save your life!
