Sleep Apnea - Symptoms and
Types
by Tony McGlinn
Sleep apnea is a disorder experienced by many people
in our community. Some estimates put the figure
as high as 10%. The symptoms of sleep apnea include
loud snoring, waking up often during the night,
being excessively tired, being irritable, and experiencing
depression during the day. The word apnea means
without rest.
One of the characteristics of people with sleep
apnea is that while they are sleeping they will
have periods when they stop breathing, sometimes
for as long as a minute. The result of this is that
the blood oxygen level falls, and the subconscious
mind, which is monitoring the blood oxygen level,
alerts the body and so it wakes up. Some people
with sleep apnea may wake up several hundred times
a night, without ever realising it.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive
sleep apnea, usually referred to as OSA. It happens
because the throat closes completely during sleep.
This happens because the suction forces that come
from snoring cause the persons tongue and soft palate,
to be sucked into the airway and block it. When
the person wakes up, the muscles in the throat and
tongue contract and the person starts to breathe
again.
Another type of sleep apnea is central apnea. This
happens when the brain and the nervous system are
not co-ordinated in telling the body when to breathe.
Mixed apnea includes elements of both obstructive
and central apnea.
About the Author
Author Tony Mcglinn runs www.sleepabc.com and www.mypowerfulmind.com.
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