It turns out that often people do not take snoring or waking up in the middle of the night seriously. But the reason behind it might be the sleep apnea or the stoppage of breathing. The apnea is quite dangerous disease and can possibly lead to major consequences. Bad sleep quality can lead to problematic thinking, emotions and behavior. Children with sleep disorders have difficulty concentrating and paying attention. What’s more, sleep apnea can cause physical problems such as hearth disease, high blood pressure etc.

What is sleep apnea?

The apnea is simply classified as a disease leading to respiratory seize amongst humans. It could happen from variety of different conditions. For example, after a deep breath in. The sleep apnea is treated as a disease. She can cause the patient to stop breathing for a hundred times in an hour time. When summing every second for just one-night equals almost 4 hours straight without oxygen. 

The sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which the person experiences respiratory arrest for multiple times in a short period. Breathing becomes awry with many stoppages. 

When happens in our body during apnea seizure?

Normally when a person is awake, he can consciously hold his breath for no more than 1-2 minutes and then voluntarily resume it. That event occurs most of the time during diving or swimming, for example. But when asleep, the body must solve that trouble itself. 

During that time the brain receives signals which warns it that the oxygen level in the blood is low. As a result, we wake up immediately. Our blood pressure rises beneath normal which may cause angina pectoris or even stroke. In the absence of oxygen human tissues become less susceptible to insulin, a hormone that controls the blood sugar levels. That’s the reason why people feel uncomfortable or lack of energy.

The respiratory arrest negatively affects every aspect in our body. Humans can survive only 10 minutes without oxygen flowing in their body. And the longer the apnea seizures last, the more often they occur during sleep, therefore the more severe the consequences may be for the patient.

Types.

There are 3 types of apneas: obstructive, central and mixed sleep apnea although only 2 of them are mentioned in most sources:

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

That is the most common type from all, occurs by airway obstruction during sleep. It causes the throat muscles to ease off, the tongue and soft palate shrink in the throat during sleep, blocking the lungs. Elderly or obese people are more frequently affected by it, because their respiratory tracks are way tighter than normal. Smokers enter the risk zone due to an inflamed nasopharynx. And alcohol lovers – because of overly relaxed muscles.

Central sleep apnea (CSA)

Rarely encountered. In that case the brain fails to send the right signals to our muscles that control the breathing during sleep. There is no shrinking in CSA. This sleep apnea occurs after opiate use, heart disease and stroke.

Mixed sleep apnea (AKA Complex sleep apnea syndrome)

From its name we can tell that it is a combination from both.

Symptoms.

Symptoms of sleep apnea at night include:

Snoring, which is particularly loud and uncomfortable;

Breathing, which stops for a short period of time and shortly after that renews;

Difficulty breathing, suffocation or coughing;

Breathing from the mouth;

Stress during sleep;

Unusual sleep postures during the night;

Sweating;

Enuresis;

Asleep walking or nightmares.

There are some important symptoms appearing during daytime we should consider:

Morning headaches; 

Breathing from the mouth;

Increased fatigue or drowsiness during the day (young children may not show signs of drowsiness);

Mood swings, irritability;

Impaired concentration or uncomplicated memory;

Troubles at work or school depending on the age of the patient;

Hyperactivity.

Why the sleep apnea may be so dangerous if not treated?

The disease’s slow pace may not need a treatment. But you should consider booking an appointment with your GP if the snoring is ruining the piece of your closest people. Or drowsiness during the day is so strong that it leads to risk while driving.

Stopping the respiratory process during sleep has many consequences. From relatively harmless sensations, such as dry mouth and headache, to the risk of death from prolonged respiratory arrest without waking up. A patient without treatment for sleep apnea risks developing:

Chronical fatigue; 

Hearth disease;

Diabetes type 2;

Various liver pathologies;

Arrhythmia, angina pectoris and heart failure;

Hypertension;

Asthma;

Heart attack, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage – one of the most severe consequences of oxygen starvation and a sharp rise in pressure;

In very rare cases, fatal respiratory arrest may occur.

Sleep apnea amongst children – what’s different?

Just as the elderly, kids can experience seizures during sleep. 60% of newborn have those symptoms, and in premature babies this graph reaches 90%.

The reason that sleep apnea occurs among children is because the respiratory regulation center has failed to form normally, it is located in medulla oblongata. It is she who must respond adequately to the fact that there is a reduction in oxygen in the blood to send signals to the muscles responsible for breathing. In this way the body absorbs a new portion of air.  

Babies with sleep apnea don’t need any treatment for it, in fact the disease fades away fully in their first month after birth. If the newborn’s respiratory system fails, you must pick up the emergency line especially if his fingertips and face turn blue and his pulse slows down. In the future, parents are taught to buy a particular item to monitor their baby’s breathing and if needed it will alarm them at any time when urgent.

For children, the rule is to wake up so that they can start breathing on their own.

Who can give you the right diagnose?

If you or your family experience symptoms such as snoring or shortness of breath during sleep, we suggest you to book an appointment with professional as soon as possible.  In that case we are talking about sleep specialist – somnologist, pulmologist, neurologist or otolaryngologist. They will determine and correct the reason for your apnea.

Your closest people can help identifying the pauses in-between your breaths. Furthermore, devices monitoring your sleep do exist. At the same time it we suggest visiting a cardiologist so that he can check your blood pressure and hearth conditions.

The most reliable diagnosis methods are polysomnography and 24-hour holter, monitoring your hearth frequency. They record all changes in the body: respiration, heart rate, nerve activity and electrical impulses.

 Prognosis and treatment.

The sleep apnea syndrome is menacing. The accumulation of symptoms occurs gradually, which is the cause of damage to various organs or even decease. These patients develop, as already mentioned, stroke and myocardial infarction, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive bronchitis, and some other severe vascular and heart diseases that reduce the duration and quality of life.

When the very first symptoms occur, you should consult with your GP. There is no specific safeguard for this pathology. Usually, patients are advised to improve their quality of life and to get rid of their bad habits.

The therapy is closely related to reason of occurring at the first place. That’s why the common methodic is: removal of obstructions in the nasal passages and correction of the nasal septum. Devices are also used to keep the mouth and throat in the correct position during sleep.

Prevention.

The prevention definitely lowers the risk of making the situation worse than it was before. We can say that it matches with the slightest form of a therapy. It is necessary to make your routine healthier, to lose fat and execute drinking alcohol or smoking. Combined all that with training your throat muscles will guarantee you the best outcome possible. Doctors recommend singing or playing brass instruments. The habit of sleeping in your favorite position lowers drastically your symptoms and makes you breath with ease. And, of course, all ENT diseases will need to be treated in a timely manner.