Millions of adults today reportedly suffer from a condition that is difficult to detect, but can account for a host of health problems if gone untreated. High blood pressure, stress and anxiety are just some of he side effects that can happen if this condition is left untreated.
The condition I’m referring to is sleep apnea. This basically is when your breathing is interrupted during sleep. This causes sleep to be disturbed, and not nearly as restful as it should be. It can be caused by many different conditions, but basically they fall into two categories.
The first category is due to physical constrictions. These could be due blocked breathing passages, due to perhaps snoring. Other causes of this are being overweight, and sleeping environment. This can be easiest to treat, as all it usually involves is losing some weight. However if the problem is throat related, there are several surgeries available.
The second reason is mental, or psychological. While the underlying reasons can vary significantly they generally are associated with simple lapses in breathing with no ascertainable physical reason.
So how do you know if you have sleep apnea? Common symptoms can include headaches, drowsiness during the day. A good test is to see how sleep you feel after a supposed seven hour or so nights sleep. Many times people with sleep apnea will feel drowsy during the day despite being asleep for eight hours the previous night.
To get proper treatment, a visit to a physician is a must. To increase your chances, keep a log of all your symptoms, as well as a sleep journal, to jot down any feelings or other information should you wake up during the night. If it is warranted, a sleep study may be performed. This involves sleeping in a “sleep laboratory” where various things will be monitored. You will then be prescribed a treatment regimen which will help you achieve the sleep you need.
If you’d like find more information on sleep apnea symptoms, have a look at Chester Umber’s apnea symptoms page today.
