What is sleep apnea? It is a sleep issue that can result in death if not detected and treated appropriately. This condition occurs when a person’s airway becomes blocked or collapses while asleep. While awake, your muscles keep the airway open making it easy to breathe. These muscles relax when sleeping and allow the airway to narrow. A person suffering from apnea will snore very loudly and gasp for air many times throughout the night. Other symptoms are pauses in breath and choking. These symptoms occur when the brain realizes that not enough air is being taken in and attempts to increase the air flow. Attacks can happen many times within each hour. A loved one with this disorder may become very irritable, mood swings, concentration problems, and memory issues due to the amount of sleep they lose each night. When the condition is not treated, other health problems can develop.
Sleep disorder diagnosis is a part of sleep medicine used to detect apnea. Several tests are done to gather information and determine the best sleep apnea treatment. If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the symptoms of apnea, the first step is discussing them with your regular doctor. They will perform a medical examination and other test to rule out any medical conditions that could be contributing. When no other cause can be found, they will often recommend you to a sleep specialist that can assess the symptoms and decide if further tests need to be done. People suffering from this particular sleep issue often need to have a sleep study so a specialist can see how severe the symptoms are. A sleep study is performed in a controlled environment that allows a technician to monitor and record brain waves, breathing and other factors that can help the specialist come up with the best suggestion for a sleep apnea treatment.
This is a very severe condition that needs to be treated as soon as it is detected. People that live alone do not often know they are experiencing any of the symptoms associated with it. If you are lucky enough to have a family member who can monitor you it will be easier to detect. When a loved one is showing signs, have them go to the doctor to ensure that treatment is provided and their health is not damaged. This will prevent them from dealing with any long term affects caused by the condition.
Sleep apnea is a disorder that affects many people regularly. Unfortunately it is hard to detect unless a loved one can spot the symptoms. The most common symptoms for this condition are loud snoring and waking up many times choking and gasping for air during sleep. Anyone with this disorder needs to be evaluated by their doctor and recommended to a sleep specialist for the most fitting sleep apnea treatment.
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