What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted several times during their sleep. 

The breathing stops because the airway collapses and prevents air from getting into the lungs. You might have sleep apnea if you snore loudly while sleeping and feel tired even after a full night's sleep.

People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing regularly during their sleep, sometimes several times throughout the night.
Untreated sleep apnea can cause many health problems including high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the heart's muscle tissue), diabetes, heart failure, stroke, and heart attacks. Also, untreated sleep apnea can be responsible for job impairment, work-related accidents, motor vehicle crashes, as well as academic underachievement in children and adolescents.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

A person with sleep apnea may be unaware of their symptoms, but another person may notice the following symptoms of sleep apnea:

• Loud snoring
• Gasping for air during sleep
• stop breathing followed by a noisy breath

The individual having sleep apnea, however, may notice that they experience:

• fatigue
• Restlessness during sleep.
• difficulty concentrating on a task throughout the day
• waking up several times a night to urinate
• awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat
• headache
• irritability

What causes sleep apnea?

There are two types of sleep apnea, obstructive and central. 

Obstructive Sleep Apnea which is the most common type of sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses during sleep. It appears to be repetitive episodes of complete or partial upper airway blockage during sleep.

Central Sleep Apnea is a less common form of sleep apnea in which the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe due to instability in the respiratory control centre.

How sleep apnea is treated?

Treatment of sleep apnea aims to normalize breathing during sleep and address any underlying health problems.

For milder cases of sleep apnea, your doctor might recommend lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting smoking. Treatment of allergies is recommended for people with nasal allergies.

If these measures do not improve the signs and symptoms and the apnea progresses from moderate to severe, a number of other treatments are available such as Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, Surgery, Mandibular repositioning device (MRD).

When to see a doctor?

Anyone who experiences daytime drowsiness or sleepiness should see a doctor. 

There are links between sleep apnea and various health problems, such as difficulty concentrating, depression, heart attack, and stroke. 

Sleep apnea can likely cause arrhythmias and heart failure because a person with sleep apnea tends to have higher blood pressure. 

If not treated on time sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and heart attack, and stroke. Untreated sleep apnea decreases the quality of life. But the good news is sleep apnea can be treated in Guwahati at GNRC. Consult the experienced doctors specializing in the treatment of sleep disorders at the Sleep Clinic of GNRC Guwahati if you notice any signs like loud snoring, morning headache, observed episodes of stopped breathing during sleep.