Sleep Apnea is a severe sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and then restarts. When not appropriately treated, it can increase in intensity, leading to excessive snoring and fatigue during the day. If you are prone to snoring and feel exhausted even after a good sleep, it could be that you are suffering from sleep apnea. It is a sleep disorder that can cause serious health issues.
Types of Sleep Apnea
The most common types of sleep apnea are:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
It is the most common type that develops when the throat muscles relax and collapse onto the airway, thus blocking it fully or partially.
Central Sleep Apnea
It is related to the central nervous system. It happens when your brain is not sending proper signals to the muscles that regulate breathing due to instability in the respiratory control center.
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome
It is referred to as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea when a person has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
What Is the Cause of Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is experienced by patients suffering from central nervous system disorders, such as after a stroke, or with neuromuscular diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It frequently occurs in patients suffering from heart failure and other kidney, heart, or lung diseases.
Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by an interference in the airway, which mostly happens because the soft tissues in the back of the throat collapse when you're asleep.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
The symptoms of central and obstructive sleep apneas sometimes overlap, making it challenging to identify the type of disorder you suffer from. The most frequently observed signs are:
- Loud snoring
- Irritability
- Morning headache
- Gasping for air during sleep
- You wake up with a dry mouth
- You are unable to breathe during sleep
- Problem to fall asleep (insomnia)
- Excessive sleepiness during the day (hypersomnia)
- Trouble paying attention when awake
If not addressed, sleep apnea may result in a variety of health issues, including hypertension (high blood pressure), cardiovascular myopathy (enlargement of the muscles of the heart), heart failure, heart attacks, and diabetes. Sleep apnea may also cause job-related impairment or work-related injuries, vehicle crashes, and low academic performance in children. It can affect any person but is most common in overweight men of older age.
Loud snoring can be a sign of the possibility of a severe issue. However, not every person who suffers from sleep apnea has trouble snoring. If you suspect that you suffer from sleep apnea, consult a sleep specialist immediately. We will suggest treatment either in the form of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) or Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) and changes in lifestyle.
Please reach out to our dental practice in Manteca, CA, to have a consultation with our dentist. Please call us at (209) 823-9218 or schedule an online consultation, and we'll guide you further.
