Sleep Apnea is Both a Common and Potentially Dangerous Sleeping Disorder

Sleep apnea is one of the commonest of all sleep disorders and affects approximately eighteen million people in the United States. A sleep disorder which is characterized by interrupted breathing during sleep, it is also unquestionably the most dangerous of sleep disorders because it starves the brain of essential oxygen and can sometimes prove to be fatal.

There are two completely different forms of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is in essence a neurological condition in which the breathing is interrupted as a result of signals sent from the brain. Obstructive sleep apnea by contrast is in essence a mechanical problem in which the windpipe is blocked either by excessive tissue or by the abnormal collapse or relaxation of the muscles around the windpipe. In either case however the results are essentially identical with regular interruptions to normal breathing that deprive the brain of oxygen and put the sufferer at greater risk from things like high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

Sadly, diagnosing sleep apnea is not always easy because snoring, which is a common symptom and often results in sleep apnea being known as the snoring disease, is also present as a symptom of various other conditions. Snoring is usually present in cases of sleep apnea because the brain responds to a drop in oxygen by awakening the sufferer sufficiently to restart the breathing process and this usually produces snoring.

This repeated awakening through the night also causes a very poor quality of sleep and it is not at all uncommon for sleep apnea sufferers to get up in the morning feeling even more tired than when they went to bed. This also results in a feeling of exhaustion during the day and an overpowering desire to sleep.

However, tiredness resulting from a poor quality of sleep is just one part of the picture and a range of other symptoms will also generally be present including morning headaches, poor memory and a problem in concentrating.

Without treatment the growing exhaustion from sleep apnea can produce severe psychological difficulties beginning with touchiness and progressing to depression with noticeable changes in both mood and behavior.

Both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea can be treated and, providing the problem is caught at an early stage, treatment is often reasonably easy. For example, a mild case of obstructive sleep apnea resulting from nasal congestion can normally be treated with little more than a course of decongestants. In the same way, a lot of cases of sleep apnea that are not too severe can be treated with a mask that is worn during sleep and that delivers a constant pressure of air to keep the airway open. Finally, in the most severe cases of sleep apnea surgery might be required and can be extremely effective, though it can also lead to various complications and has to be approached with care.

Probably the most important thing to remember when treating sleep apnea is that as it carries with it the potentially fatal risk of respiratory failure sufferers ought not to be tempted to use sleeping pills or to take other forms of sleep enhancers without the approval of a doctor.

Natural sleep remedies unquestionably provide an effective complement to prescribed medication and herbal remedies which are intended to improve both the quality and duration of sleep may well help in the management of the excessive daytime sleepiness normally brought on by sleep apnea. Similarly, things like aromatherapy, chromatherapy and meditation and guided relaxation can help to reduce the anxiety and insomnia that come with sleep apnea.