Sleep Apnea - A Deadly Disorder?
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder which can become deadly for the sufferer, as the person commonly stops breathing several times per night. There are two types of this sleep disorder called Obstructive and Central. In Obstructive, the brain stimulates the body to breathe, but sometimes an obstruction is present such as, enlarged tonsils, a receding jaw which pushes the throat back, or a thick epiglottis. In the Central type, which is a rare form, the brain does not send the signal to breathe. The reason sleep apnea can become deadly is, after having it for awhile, a person may develop heart disease, arrhythmia of the heart, high blood pressure also called hypertension, and stroke.
When a person with sleep apnea awakens several times per night, his oxygen and carbon dioxide level becomes out of balance causing a build up of carbon dioxide. When this happens, the brain sends a signal for the body to awaken and begin breathing again. This is why the person with this disorder wakes up so often. Many times, the person doesn't even know he has awakened as he goes right back to sleep and may not even remember any of it the next morning. Other times, the person will awaken many times believing he may need to use the restroom.
There are several symptoms which may indicate a person has sleep apnea. They are, gasping for breath during sleep-some even dream they are gasping, choking, perspiring heavily while sleeping, morning grogginess, lethargy, mental confusion, sleepiness during the day, memory loss, and irritability. Other less common are headaches upon awakening which may be due to hypertension, and there may be episodes of hyperactivity mainly in children who have it also.
Sleep apnea leads to a lower quality of life, because when exhaustion rules a sufferer's life from lack of sleep, that person cannot be as productive as he should be. If sleep apnea is the suspected cause, then the person owes it to himself to seek a health care professional for a complete check up. There may be no easy cure for this disorder, but it can be treated successfully, giving the sufferer many good night's sleep ahead.
As a previous suffer of sleep apnea which is now under control, I researched and decided to write some articles related to this condition. For more information regarding sleep apnea and other sleep related articles go to my website http://www.sleepnowinfo.com
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