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Snoring
Relief and Sleep Apnea
What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?
Early Signs of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea may not be as serious as other
medical conditions but its implications to one’s health in the long run may be
quite significant. The person suffering from it is regularly deprived of
sleep. Likewise, the supply of oxygen in the body and release of carbon dioxide
are negatively affected, as there are disturbances in the entry and exit of air
to and from the lungs.
Although sleep apnea is characterized by
episodes of non-breathing and waking up every night, the person is not aware of
any of these. Thus, in cases where no one sleeps beside or in proximity to the
person, there appears to be no way of finding out about the condition.
However, should one suspect that he has sleep
apnea; there are some symptoms, which he may observe and take note of. One is
the feeling of restlessness at night. If this seems to be happening every
night, then something more serious may really be behind it like sleep apnea.
Frequent urination at night may also be a symptom.
Another symptom is sleepiness in the morning.
If a person feels like he has not slept at all and feels very, very sleepy at
daytime, the reason could be sleep apnea. Although the waking up episodes are
not noticed because they take place unconsciously, the effect on the body cannot
be denied.
Since there is constantly not enough sleep and
rest, memory and concentration also suffer. People who have already been
diagnosed with sleep apnea describe themselves as losing focus immediately
because they feel very tired. Memory is specifically affected because a lot of
information is actually being processed during sleep. Disturbed sleep means
such processing did not take place smoothly or even reach its conclusion.
Moreover, since the body was not able to
recuperate well through the night, one may complain about headaches in the
morning as soon as he gets up from bed. These types of headaches are normally
difficult to remedy with painkillers.
In addition, it is true that failure to sleep
well results in some changes in personality. The person may become too
irritable and may easily lose patience even with petty things. His interactions
with the people around him may indeed suffer.
As soon as these symptoms are evident, one must
not think twice in consulting a doctor. The doctor will then conduct a thorough
examination of the nose and throat to detect any blockages that affect
breathing. An endoscopy of the nose and throat may also be recommended or maybe
a CT scan of the head and neck.
To further observe one’s sleep patterns, a
sleep study may be required which is normally conducted at a sleep center or
laboratory. Oftentimes, a video and audio recorder is used to make the
observations more thorough.
The recording of several body functions during
sleep is referred to as polysomnography. It takes note of the electrical
activities of the brain, the movement of the eyes, the activities of the
muscles, the heart rate, the effort to breathe, the flow of air into and from
the body, and the levels of oxygen in the blood. This type of test diagnoses
sleep apnea and determines how severe it is.
Another test is called The Multiple Sleep
Latency Test (MSLT). This measures how fast one falls asleep during the times
of the day when he is supposed to be awake. Easily falling asleep at daytime
may imply that nighttime sleep was not enough as there could have been some
disruptions.
These tests are commonly conducted in
designated centers for sleep disorder but since there is appropriate technology
already, the patient may now request to have them done at home.
Treatment for sleep apnea involves a change in
lifestyle. Some of the causes are due to certain practices like drinking
alcohol before going sleep, sleeping irregularly because of work and family
schedules, and not exercising to maintain ideal body weight. Close monitoring
and change in any of these may significantly bring in positive results.
Surgery is also an option, especially for those
with some structural concerns. Behavior therapy is also becoming more and more
popular. Generally, treatment is customized and greatly dependent on individual
diagnosis.
Sleep apnea can be prevented most especially if
it is diagnosed early on. One must remember that it deserves attention just
like any other diseases.
>>>
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