Sleep Apnea

If you have blocked airways, causing a lack of oxygen in your sleep, you may have sleep apnea disorder. As the brain gets deprived of oxygen, it will signal your body to wake up to force you to breathe better to regulate the oxygen once again in your body. These episodes, in severe cases, can occur up to 7 times a night and will last roughly 10 seconds at a time.

Sleep apnea patients can experience these episodes between 30 and 300 times per night. This isn’t very good for someone trying to get rest. During these episodes, your body will experience reduced blood oxygen levels, which make your blood pump harder than it should.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

• Chronic exhaustion
• Insomnia or trouble sleeping
• Needing to sleep throughout the day
• Morning headaches
• Snoring or loud breathing
• Having a sore throat or dry mouth after sleep
• Waking up choking or gasping for air
• Struggling to concentrate
• Short term memory loss
• A low sex drive
• Gaining weight
• Breathing will stop for a limited time (woken up by you or someone else)

Sleep Apnea Side Effects

The people around you may hear snoring or loud breathing when you are suffering from sleep apnea which is also interrupted by complete air blockage.

When you fail to treat your sleep apnea, you may experience the following side effects:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Heart failure
• Depression
• Gastric reflux
• Fibromyalgia

Obstruction in Sleep Apnea

There are over 180 million people who suffer obstruction sleep apnea, and no more than a quarter has gotten a proper diagnosis. With it being the most common type of sleep apnea, many people are suffering unnecessarily. There is hope for you!

During your sleep, your throat tissue will relax. If you suffer from sleep apnea, your airways can become blocked by the tissue obstructing the lungs’ airflow. Now your muscles in your diaphragm will have to work harder to draw in oxygen for healthy sleep. This ailment can cause an irregular heart rhythm, and the oxygen flow to organs will get reduced.

Obstructive sleep apnea causes explicitly relaxed throat tissue, which blocks the airways. However, the symptoms and side effects remain the same as other kinds of sleep apnea.

The Causes of Sleep Apnea

Most people start experiencing sleep apnea later in life, making it difficult for them to predict they will get it. Certain factors can cause you to develop sleep apnea. These will include an unhealthy lifestyle and genetic factors that are beyond our control.

The uncontrollable risk factors:

• Your gender Men tend to develop sleep apnea more than women
• Age Sleep apnea most often occurs in people over the age of 30.
• Genetics People will have an increased risk of developing sleep apnea if it runs in the family.
• Menopause Women who have been through or are still going through menopause are likely to develop sleep apnea.
• Neck circumference If you have a wider neck or extra tissue in the neck and throat, it will cause you to have a higher risk of sleep apnea.

Minimize risk factors by changing your lifestyle:

• Obesity This is the most common cause of sleep apnea. You can reduce your risk of developing sleep apnea by losing weight.
• Drinking Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing sleep apnea.
• Medication Medications such as sedatives or sleeping pills can increase your risk of developing sleep apnea.
• Smoking Your throat muscles can get relaxed by nicotine. This can cause the muscles to collapse and block your airway.

Ways to determine if you have sleep apnea

It can be challenging to get an appropriate diagnosis for sleep apnea. Many patients may notice that they struggle to sleep, and others are asleep and experience terrible symptoms. Patients suffer for years before realizing how bad their symptoms are.

Working with an expert will help you diagnose your sleep apnea so you can finally get back to living your life with peaceful sleep!

Sleep Apnea Testing

Get an accurate diagnosis with a sleep study. Performing a sleep study test can be done at our sleep clinic in Portland. Once you have completed the sleep quiz, one of our sleep experts will advise you on the next steps. You can connect with our Sleep doctor in-person or virtually to review and discuss your results. Your doctor can discuss treatment options and develop a plan to suit your needs.

Thanks to Sleep Health Partners In Portland, OR, You Will Get Peaceful Sleep

With decades of experience, you will receive the best of care here at Sleep Health Partners. We are committed to improving your life with the right diagnosis and treatment plan for breathing issues, including sleep apnea. Please call Sleep Health Partners at (360) 606-3206 to arrange an appointment with one of our compassionate sleep apnea experts.