Sleep apnea to put it simply is a breathing disorder that occurs during sleep where the person stops breathing for brief periods during sleep leading to disturbed sleep and is characterized by loud snoring. Obstructive Sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common and occurs when there is a collapse of the air passages stopping the flow of oxygen with intermittent snoring spells. The other form of this disorder is called Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) and this is caused due to a delay in the brain to breath mechanism. Most common symptoms are difficulty breathing, loud snoring, obesity, unrepressed sleep, headaches, choking during the night and breathlessness or frequent visits to the bathroom and insomnia. While the effects of having Sleep apnea could be rapid weight gain, insomnia, dryness of the mouth, high blood pressure, chest pains, choking sensations and decreased libido, heartburn and profuse perspiration.
The disorder is a serious condition since the person is not aware of the lack of breathing and can be life threatening and if left untreated can only progressively worsen with age, so it is advisable to consult a physician to determine whether you have sleep apnea or not and if so then which kind. To do this the doctor conducts a sleep test called the Polysomnograph which can be an overnight test done at the hospital or a home based test and this test studies the brain waves during sleep, the blood pressure, oxygen levels in the blood and so on to determine the presence of OSA. Once it is detected then there are different methods of treatment depending on the severity of the disorder. For mild SA, simple behavioral changes or lifestyle changes may help like sleeping to one side, losing weight, getting small devices that help in easy breathing and reduce snoring some devices help in elevating the palate and thus reducing the snoring and some help to hold the tongue from falling into the air passage and obstructing breathing etc. for moderate to severe cases the mode of treatment is by using the C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure) method which is done through a machine that blows continuous air at an altered pressure through the air mask so as to keep the passages from being obstructed.
For more severe cases the BiPAP machine is used the difference between this and the CPAP being that the former uses two different pressure settings but with the same mechanism as the latter machine. Some times the disorder can arise due to facial deformities and these can be treated with surgery if the CPAP or BiPAP doesn't work. Any form of snoring is an indication of some obstruction in the air passages and this may not necessarily be SA related so it is important to note whether the snoring is due to OSA or primary snoring. Primary snoring is regular snoring that is characterized by sound and continuity and does not have spells of cessation during breathing that is characteristic of OSA. While it does a doctor to eliminate the possibility of turning into a sleep disorder or worsening check not a cause for concern it is a good method to try and follow some kind of lifestyle changes and have it.
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