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Snoring
Relief and Sleep Apnea
What Causes Sleep Apnea?
The Roots of Sleep Apnea
A good number of people suffer from sleep apnea
but 90% of them do not know they actually experience it. Normally, the other
family members or the bed partner are the ones who notice the symptoms.
Sleeping without anyone nearby makes this condition ultimately life
threatening.
Sleep apnea is mainly characterized by sudden
and periodic ceasing of breathing during sleep. Such episodes may occur up to
100 times every night. The person suffering from this condition awakens to
restart breathing but is normally not conscious of any these. Those who think
they have sleep apnea but do not sleep in proximity with anyone use audio
recordings to monitor and confirm any doubts.
There are a lot of things that must be
remembered about this condition. One is the fact that it may lead to sleep
deprivation because of the frequency of the disturbances every night. Also, it
is a disorder that lingers for a long time if not properly treated and even
worsens, as a person gets older. Above all these, because of its very nature,
no doubt that it can be very detrimental to one’s health and life.
Snoring and sleep apnea are often mistaken to
be one and the same thing although they are not. Snoring is basically just
producing an unusual sound during sleep but this does not necessarily mean
breathing has stopped. However, it may come with sleep apnea.
Various factors may bring about this
condition. Here are just some of them:
• Age. Older people have a greater to tendency
to suffer from this. Also, if the condition started at an earlier period, it
worsens with age.
• Gender. Statistics show that men and more
prone to experience sleep apnea.
• Family history. The genetic makeup that
leads to sleep apnea has not yet been exactly pointed out but statistics give
the impression that such is indeed hereditary. This can be largely related to
certain structures of the body that make a person more vulnerable to it.
• Obesity or excess fat. People who are
overweight normally have enlarged throat tissues that block the airway. This is
not the case for everyone, though. Around 50% of those with sleep apnea are
within normal weights.
• Body structure anomalies. Certain structural
deformities may obstruct the air passageway. Examples are a receding chin, an
enlarged tongue, and problems with the septum.
• Adenoids and enlargement of tonsils. Children
are most prone to these thus making them vulnerable to sleep apnea.
• Nasal congestion. This builds up too much
pressure in the throat during air uptake, as air cannot flow easily.
• Fluctuating sleep schedule and hours. This
confuses the body systems and negatively affects Stage 1 and REM sleep. Since
both initial sleep stages are disrupted, breathing becomes unstable.
• Snoring. Not only does it come with sleep
apnea, it may also be a cause. As the soft palate constantly vibrates, it may
result to lengthening which eventually may block the passageway of air.
• Intake of alcohol and sleep-inducing
prescriptions right before sleeping. This causes the muscles of the throat and
tongue to be so relaxed and leads to snoring which, as mentioned, could be a
cause as well.
• Smoking. This obviously harms the air
passageway. Same thing happens when one is exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Other disorders and medical conditions.
Examples include hypothyroidism, vocal cord paralysis, disorders of the nerves
and muscles, acromegaly, and down syndrome
Sleep apnea may be a product of a lot of
factors and may have an impact on a lot of aspects as well. Not only does it
negatively affect health, it also affects one’s functions in general. A person
who has been deprived of sleep and oxygen cannot be that productive anymore.
Life as a whole is disturbed.
There are some possible remedies and
interventions, though. However, medications are usually not effective.
Self-help remedies, which pose better results, include regularization of sleep
hours, regular exercise, avoidance of alcohol and smoking, and sleeping
sideways. Surgery on physical anomalies may also be very helpful but not
everyone would want to undergo such procedure.
Sleep apnea is a medical condition that
deserves attention. It is best to consult an expert as soon as there are
symptoms.
>>>
Table of Contents
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