Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment
90% of people who have sleep apnea don’t know that they have it. As usual it is the bed partner who first notices that the person is struggling to breathe during sleep. Essential are diagnosis and treatment because sleep apnea can be life-threatening.
What is sleep apnea?
You have sleep apnea if you stop breathing periodically during sleep. You can awaken to restart breathing up to 100 times per night.
Evidently you remember nothing at all about the awakenings. Nevertheless, if you sleep with someone else, your sleep partner will remember a great deal about the awakenings.
If you don’t have a sleep partner and suspect that you have sleep apnea, there other ways to monitor your sleep using audio recording.
Here are three vital things that you need to know about sleep apnea:
• Not only does sleep apnea result in sleep deprivation, but it can also threaten your life.
• Sleep apnea is a progressive sleep disorder (it gets worse as you age).
• Treatment for sleep apnea is necessary and usually successful.
Is snoring the same as sleep apnea?
Snoring and sleep apnea is not the same thing.
- Snoring is simply a loud sound that you make during breathing while asleep.
- Snoring may accompany sleep apnea, but snoring by itself does not mean that breathing has stopped.
What are the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea?
Here are warning signs and symptoms of sleep apnea:
• Frequent cessation of breathing (apnea) during sleep.
- Your sleep partner may notice repeated silences from your side of the bed.
• Choking or gasping during sleep to get air into the lungs
• Loud snoring
• Sudden awakenings to restart breathing
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