Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which someone have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while he is sleeping. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They often occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour, although sleep apnea sufferers do not usually remember waking up. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights each week. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. This results in poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. People with sleep apnea have higher chances of serious health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and obesity. sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but it can affect anyone. Central sleep apnea is a less common type of sleep apnea. It happens when the area of your brain that controls your breathing doesn’t send the correct signals to your breathing muscles. You make no effort to breathe for brief periods.
The most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) that you may notice include:
Exessive daytime sleepiness, which is falling asleep when you normally should not, such as while you are eating, talking, or driving.
Waking with an unrefreshed feeling after sleep, having problems with memory and concentration, feeling tired, and experiencing personality changes.
Morning or night headaches. About half of all people with sleep apnea report headaches.
Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth at night.
Swelling of the legs if you are obese.
Getting up during the night to urinate (nocturia).
Episodes of not breathing (apnea), which may occur as few as 5 times an hour (mild apnea) to more than 50 times an hour (severe apnea). How many episodes you have determines how severe your sleep apnea is.
Loud snoring. Almost all people who have sleep apnea snore, but not all people who snore have sleep apnea.
Restless tossing and turning during sleep.
Nighttime choking or gasping spells.
Sleep apnea is most common among men, people who are overweight and the middle-aged. Untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure, hearth attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes, increase the risk for or worsen heart failure, make irregular heartbeats more likely, increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents.
There are several treatments available for OSA, however most doctors recommend positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. PAP therapy is safe, effective and noninvasive. It does not require drugs or surgery. Alternatives including dental appliances may have some benefits for people with mild OSA. There are invasive surgeries available, however, they have variable success rates, and surgery always has a risk of short and long-term complications. Of the available treatment options, PAP therapy is the safest and most effective. People on PAP therapy have reduced health risks and more energy to do the things they want to do. Most dental devices are acrylic and fit inside your mouth, much like an athletic mouth guard or orthodontic appliance. Others fit around your head and chin to adjust the position of your lower jaw. Two common oral devices are the Mandibular Repositioning Device and the Tongue Retaining Device. These devices open your airway by bringing your lower jaw or your tongue forward during sleep. While oral devices are less cumbersome than CPAP and relatively simple to use, they are only effective for mild to moderate sleep apnea. There are also a number of troubling side effects from using this type of treatment ? soreness; damage to/permanent change in position of the jaw, teeth, and mouth; saliva build-up; and nausea. It is very important to get fitted by a dentist that specializes in sleep apnea, and to see the dentist on a regular basis for any dental problems that may occur. Surgery can increase the size of your airway. The surgeon may remove tonsils, adenoids, or excess tissue at the back of the throat or inside the nose. Or, the surgeon may reconstruct the jaw to enlarge the upper airway. Surgery may be an effective option for some, and can even provide permanent relief from symptoms. However, any surgery carries risks of surgical complications and infections, and in some rare cases, symptoms can become worse after surgery. If you have exhausted other apnea treatment options, you may want to discuss surgical options with your doctor or sleep specialist.
Original source: http://healthypack.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/sleep-apnea/
