Sleep Apnoea: Everything You Need to Know
Proper sleep is critical in promoting good health and overall well-being. Keeping your sleep routine and duration balanced significantly reduces health risks related to sleep deprivation. However, sleep disorders can sometimes develop without you knowing, and you must watch them as they can result in serious problems.
Sleep Apnoea (or apnea) can be one of those disorders. Leading health institutions describe this as a condition where your breathing stops and restarts while sleeping, depriving your body of enough oxygen. Read this article to understand more about sleep apnea as a serious disorder.
Two Main Types of Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnea is not to be taken lightly, as such a condition poses serious health risks. Most of the time, you must consult a doctor when you experience this sleep disorder. You may also take oral appliance therapy to help you with your sleeping problems, which Sleepwise got you covered. Here are two main types of sleep apnea which you may suffer from:
- Obstructive sleep apnea occurs if your upper airway gets blocked several times while sleeping. Factors narrowing the airway, such as obesity, hormonal changes, or large tonsils, typically cause this most common type of sleep apnea.
- Central sleep apnea happens when the brain fails to send the required breathing signals while you’re asleep. This type of sleep apnea is alternately related to factors that affect how your nervous system controls your respiratory tract and chest muscles.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnoea
Obstructive and central sleep apnea have relatively similar symptoms, making it difficult to rule out which one you experience. These two types nonetheless list common symptoms such as:
- Morning headache
- Episodes of breathing pauses (or stops) while asleep
- Loud snore
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- Difficulty breathing while sleeping
- Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
- Irritability
- Difficulty focusing
- Excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue
What are the Treatments for Sleep Apnoea
While no cure is listed for sleep apnea, there are still treatment options to control such a disorder, reduce its risks, or alleviate its severity at the very least. As suggested by a study, sleep apnea can be treated variedly through Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral appliances, weight loss, surgical operation, and electrical stimulation.
An alternative, more cost-efficient treatment can be pursued, too, through healthier lifestyle changes. This is after the fact that common sleep apnea symptoms can be traced back to poor health conditions and unfavorable lifestyles.
Get That Safe and Sound Sleep!
Different health problems can strike at any moment and change your life instantly. There are a lot of health risks you can fall into– from minor to major health issues. And sleep apnoea can be your pitfall without you even knowing.
It is critical to know the nature of sleep apnea as a disorder, its symptoms, causes, and treatments to understand your health vulnerabilities. While you can seek your doctor’s advice anytime, taking measures to prevent you from experiencing the slightest sleep deprivation remains the best option.
It goes without saying that prevention is better than cure (or, in this case, treatment). A safe and sound sleep leads to a healthy body and mind!
