Do you ever wake up feeling exhausted, despite having slept through the night? If so, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep, causing them to wake up briefly to breathe. It can happen hundreds of times a night in people with severe sleep apnea. The most definitive sign of sleep apnea is often witnessed by a bedmate.
People with sleep apnea often wake up for a few seconds to breathe. This can cause them to kick, hit, shake, or wake up under a twisted pile of disheveled sheets. Exhaustion is one of the main symptoms of sleep apnea, as it disrupts the quality of your sleep. If you suspect that you may have sleep apnea, there are treatments available.
Devices that treat sleep apnea, especially those with positive airway pressure, tend to produce very fast results. Patients are monitored by sleep technicians, who record brain activity, breathing, electrocardiogram results, and muscle activity. These treatments or non-medical approaches usually improve or resolve obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can sometimes be prevented, especially in cases where it occurs because a person is overweight or obese.
However, in patients who have sleep apnea, the airway narrows so much that they begin to choke and cannot get in and out enough air. Repeated awakenings associated with sleep apnea make normal, restful sleep impossible, making it likely that there will be severe daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and irritability. If you notice any of the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, which are more likely to occur with sleep apnea, you should go to the emergency room immediately. If you suspect that you may have sleep apnea, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
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