Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that, if left untreated, can lead to major health issues such as high blood pressure and heart problems. Untreated sleep apnea causes breathing to stop regularly throughout sleep, resulting in loud snoring and daytime weariness, even after a full night’s sleep. Sleep apnea can affect anyone, although it is especially common in elderly men who are overweight.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Before we begin, we must have a complete understanding of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which your breathing repeatedly stops and starts while you sleep. If left untreated, it can lead to loud snoring, daytime fatigue, or more serious issues such as heart disease or high blood pressure. This is not the same as normal, or primary, snoring. Primary snoring can be caused by nasal or throat diseases, sleep habits (particularly back sleeping), being overweight or older, or using alcohol or other depressants. While both primary and sleep apnea-related snoring occur when the tissues in the back of your throat vibrate, those with sleep apnea are more likely to:
- Snore much louder than people who snore regularly
- Take short breaths, gasp, or choke
- Feel restless
What Are the Different Types of Sleep Apnea?
The following are the most common types of sleep apnea:
- The most frequent type is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when the throat muscles relax.
- Central sleep apnea happens when your brain fails to deliver appropriate signals to the muscles that control your breathing.
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome, also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, is characterized by the presence of both obstructive and central sleep apnea.
What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?
The signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apnea sometimes overlap, making it difficult to tell which type you have. Visit Kelly Dental if you’re looking for the best sleep apnea treatment in Springfield, MO. The following are the most prevalent indications and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas:
- Obnoxious snoring
- Episodes in which you stop breathing while sleeping — as reported by another person
- During sleep, you may find yourself gasping for air
- Waking up with a dry tongue
- A headache in the morning
- Difficulties falling asleep (insomnia)
- Excessive drowsiness during the day (hypersomnia)
- Difficulty staying awake and paying attention
- Irritability
What Are the Possible Causes of Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea happens when the muscles in the back of your throat relax too much for normal breathing to occur. These muscles support tissues such as the soft palate, the triangular portion of tissue hanging from the soft palate (uvula), the tonsils, and the tongue.
When you relax your muscles, your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in, causing you to have trouble breathing for 10 seconds or longer. This can cause a decrease in the amount of oxygen in your blood as well as a buildup of carbon dioxide.
Your brain detects the obstructed breathing and momentarily wakes you up so that you can reopen your airway. This awakening is frequently so short that you are not aware of it.
You may awaken with shortness of breath that rapidly corrects itself with one or two deep breaths. You may make a snorting, coughing, or gasping sounds.
This sequence can repeat five to thirty times or more each hour, all night long. These disruptions hinder your ability to enter the deep, restorative phases of sleep, and you will most likely feel sleepy during the day.
People suffering from obstructive sleep apnea may be unaware that their sleep is being disrupted. Many people who suffer from this sort of sleep apnea are unaware that they haven’t slept properly all night.
We hope this blog has provided you with the necessary knowledge regarding sleep apnea. Are you searching for the best sleep apnea treatment in Springfield, MO? Visit Kelly Dental – Dentist Springfield MO and we will take care of all your dental requirements.
