What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common medical condition where a person stops breathing while sleeping. As a survival mechanism, the lack of oxygen activates a reflex that wakes you up for just enough time to resume breathing. As this cycle can happen numerous times during the night, sleep apnea results in the disruption of sleep patterns and decreases the quality of your sleep.
The lack of proper rest poses a threat to your cardiovascular system as it puts excess stress on your heart. It also causes you to be sleepy during the day, which often complicates everyday activities. This condition often occurs in older people. Obesity is one of the crucial contributing factors for developing sleep apnea as well.
What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?
This condition comes with a wide variety of symptoms, and not all of them occur in every patient. Daytime sleepiness and dizziness are quite common – they are a logical consequence of the lack of quality rest. It’s important to keep in mind this can be dangerous for drivers or those who work in positions that require being focused and alert at all times.
With tiredness often come mood changes such as anxiety or depression, and patients might also experience trouble concentrating, headaches, or even memory loss. Snoring is often present, but it doesn’t occur in all cases.
A loved one may notice snoring, restlessness, or waking up in the middle of the night. A person with sleep apnea usually doesn’t remember waking up. Unusual breathing patterns can also occur. Most commonly, it’s Cheyne-Stokes breathing – fast breathing that gets deeper, then shallower, then a pause in breathing, and repeating of the cycle.
