Do you wake up feeling exhausted and irritable, even after a full night's sleep? If so, you may be experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which your upper respiratory tract closes, interrupting your breathing and depriving you of oxygen until you wake up and start breathing again. This can cause repeated awakenings throughout the night, making it difficult to get a restful sleep. As a result, people with sleep apnea may experience severe drowsiness, fatigue, and irritability during the day.
In addition, sleep apnea can increase the risk of having a recurrent heart attack, stroke, and abnormal heartbeats, such as atrial fibrillation. Many people may not even realize that they are experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea because the most common and telltale symptoms, such as snoring, pauses in breathing and shortness of breath, occur during sleep. If you think you have sleep apnea, it is important to schedule an appointment with a sleep specialist or ask a primary care provider to refer you to one. Your doctor may also recommend that you lose weight and avoid sleeping on your back to prevent gravity from pushing your tongue, tonsils, and other soft tissue in your throat further into your respiratory tract.
The definition of mild sleep apnea is the least advanced form of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These respiratory interruptions are called “apneas”, a word derived from a Greek term that literally means stopping breathing. People with mild sleep apnea may be more likely to have complications after major surgery because they are prone to breathing problems, especially when sedated and lying on their backs. Ultimately, that can reduce or even eliminate the effects of sleep apnea in your life while using these treatments.
Sleep apnea can sometimes be prevented, especially when it occurs because a person is overweight or obese. Under normal circumstances, your brain manages your breathing all the time, even while you sleep. You may even catch more colds as poor quality sleep can interfere with your immune system. Some other symptoms such as a decreased pain threshold, changes in mood or irritability, depression or trouble concentrating usually occur in people with obstructive sleep apnea.The time needed to recover or feel better after treatment for sleep apnea depends on the treatments themselves.
That's often interrupting sleep every night and it's logical that anyone with mild sleep apnea would want to do everything possible to avoid it.
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