Fighting the Threat of apnea - Looking for a Symptom of Sleep Apnea

It is easy to immediately think of insomnia when you hear the term sleep disorder. However, a lot of people may not know that sleep apnea is also an equally embarrassing sleep disorder. The best way to secure yourself from the threat of apnea is to detect the sleep apnea symptom.

Dangers of sleep apnea

The reason why you should be able to recognize a symptom of sleep apnea is because this is a potentially life-threatening condition. In addition to the bad moods and retarding of the body functions, serious sleep disorders could lead stroke, heart disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease, to name a few.

There are three types of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is when the brain fails to send breathing signals. Obstructive sleep apnea is when the muscle breaks down or the air channel is blocked, preventing the air from circulating. The third type is a mixture of the two major types of apnea. Although they there are a lot of differences between the three types of sleep apnea, there are also a few similar symptoms.

Symptoms

It is believed that the most common symptom of sleep apnea is snoring. This symptom can appear immediately after going to sleep and grow louder as the sleep progresses. However, it has been discovered that sleep apnea can be present even in the lack of snoring. It is also possible that you are a loud snorer, but you do not necessarily have an apnea condition.

Therefore, it is logical to conclude that the respiratory arrest is a symptom of sleep apnea. Apart from this obvious symptom of sleep apnea, you could have a single gasp and choke in your sleep and wake up dazed and confused. Daytime sleepiness is a symptom of insomnia, which can lead to sleep apnea.

Morbidities

It may also be a good idea to seek for a sleep apnea symptom among the self-inflicted conditions. A person suffering from a particular condition could end up being depressed because sleep apnea causes either light sleep or insomnia, which in turn leads to fatigue and irritability.

The importance of the observer

A person will often not know if they present any sleep apnea symptoms unless someone else tells them. In the end, a sleeping person does not know what they do during their sleep. The responsibility of the first notice of an apnea condition therefore falls on the shoulders of roommates and bedmates. As soon as a symptom of apnea is noticed and a person is presumed to suffer from apnea, they should be taken to a specialist for proper diagnosis. Roommates should also recognize the personality changes caused by sleep disorders.

Treatment

It is believed that surgery is only successful in 50% cases of treating sleep apnea. But it can help people, clearly improving their condition because of the enlarged tissue. Surgery is usually the last resort for people with apnea. Other medical procedures and treatments are usually tried before surgery. It is important to look for expert advice rather than try to seek a resolution of the condition on your own.