Do you get up all tired in the morning? Not as refreshed as you should, after a night’s rest? Does your partner complain about your strange sleeping behavior and sounds? Well, you could be suffering from sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a condition where one stops to breathe briefly during sleep. When we sleep, our throat muscles keep the airway open, so that there is an intake of more oxygen when we breathe. When there is a block in the respiratory tract, then breathing becomes a problem. The airway narrows down because the muscle of the throat relaxes too much, or it could also be because the extra tissues, due to being overweight, thicken the walls of the windpipe. Another reason could be that the tongue, or the tonsils become big in relation to the windpipe. Yet, another reason for sleep apnea could be when the communication between the brain and the muscle that needs to keep the airway open, is not okay.
When you sleep, the breathing is shortly interrupted and is very shallow. These pauses in breathing can last from 10-20 seconds. These kinds of pauses can happen at least a hundred times when you are sleeping. Your natural sleep rhythm is disturbed, as these pauses will jolt you up to prevent dying in your sleep. You wake up to kick-start your breathing. You can start with a choking sound or a gasp. The ineffective effort to pull in air, results in a vibration, which is the snoring that you do.
There are various kinds of sleep apnea. Read on to know more about them:
This is the most common kind of sleep apnea where the throat airway is blocked due to the relaxation of the throat muscles. This results in loud snoring.
This is a less common kind of sleep apnea where the central nervous system is involved. The communication between the brain and the muscles that control breathing fails. People with this kind of sleep apnea seldom snore.
This sleep apnea is a combination of both central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea causes snoring, and this disturbs the sleep. Without the deep and refreshing sleep, the person experiences low energy and productivity level. It also makes the mental alertness during the day very sluggish. The person feels like sleeping during the daytime. He also experiences slow reflexes and poor concentration.
Sleep apnea can also result in various kinds of health problems like:
Many a times, one does not realize the problem of sleep apnea, unless your partner tells you about your loud snoring or breathing pattern during the night. Some other common symptoms could also help you detect your problem.
The common symptoms of sleep apnea include feeling sleepy during the daytime, while driving or at work. Morning headaches, waking up repeatedly to urinate at night, no concentration, a dry mouth or sore throat when you wake up, mood swings and irritability, a large neck size, acid reflux, etc., are some of the common signs you may experience, if you have sleep apnea. Some also have the tendency to breathe through the mouth.
Follow the below mentioned tips while sleeping to prevent sleep apnea:
Avoid sleeping on your back as gravity causes your soft tissues and tongue to drop, obstructing the air passageway. Sleep on your sides as it reduces mild apnea. Many a times, you sleep on your back without realizing. To help you remember, sew a pocket at the back in your pajama top and put a tennis ball into it while sleeping. Each time you turn to sleep on your back, the ball will wake you and remind you to sleep on your sides. You can even fill a pillow with tennis balls and wedge behind your back to prevent you from sleeping on your back.
Prop your head on a pillow 4 inches to 6 inches high. You can use a foam wedge to prop your upper body. There are also cervical pillows available that help to put your head in position. This helps to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea.
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