r Do You Know Sleep Apnea?

Do You Know Sleep Apnea?

Do You Know Sleep Apnea?


Sleeping is important towards well-being of the person. Then what if you have sleep apnea? Do you know it? Sleep apnea is a condition in which you repeatedly stop breathing during the night. It is common among adults but rare among children. Although a diagnosis of sleep apnea often will be suspected on the basis of a person's medical history, there are several tests that can be used to confirm the diagnosis. The treatment of sleep apnea may be either surgical or nonsurgical. 

An apnea is a period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced. In simplified terms, an apnea occurs when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more. If you stop breathing completely or take less than 25% of a normal breath for a period that lasts 10 seconds or more, this is an apnea. This definition includes complete stoppage of airflow.

When an apnea occurs, sleep usually is disrupted due to inadequate breathing and poor oxygen levels in the blood. Sometimes this means the person wakes up completely, but sometimes this can mean the person comes out of a deep level of sleep and into a more shallow level of sleep. Apneas are usually measured during sleep (preferably in all stages of sleep) over a two-hour period. An estimate of the severity of apnea is calculated by dividing the number of apneas by the number of hours of sleep, giving an apnea index (AI in apneas per hour); the greater the AI, the more severe the apnea.

First type is obstructive. In this condition, the pipe that carries air into the lungs gets blocked intermittently. The other type is central, which means that the trigger in the brain that signals breathing intermittently stops working. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the condition that we are most concerned with. 
There are three types of sleep apnea:
1. Central sleep apnea (CSA) which means that the trigger in the brain that signals breathing intermittently stops working.
2. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in this condition, the pipe that carries air into the lungs gets blocked intermittently. and 
3. Mixed sleep apnea (both central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea).

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