No matter what stage you’re at, knowledge is power. The more you know about sleep apnea and its treatment, the more comfortable you feel.
At EdenSleep, we recommend that you take the time to do your research, but it can be quite time-consuming and overwhelming.
So, we decided to put all the information in one article, so you can read through all the basics to get you started on your journey to a better night’s sleep.
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What is Sleep Apnea?
What Can Cause Sleep Apnea?
What are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?
How is Sleep Apnea Treated?
Tips on managing Sleep Apnea
Let’s start with the definition.
Sleep apnea (sometimes spelled sleep apnoea) is a sleep disorder where your natural breathing pattern is briefly paused or interrupted entirely during sleep.
There are a few different types, but the most common is known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This occurs when the muscles in your throat controlling your upper airway relax too much while asleep. If this happens, the upper airway becomes constricted and you may begin to take shallow breaths or snore. If the airway constricts even further, it may become completely obstructed, causing you to temporarily stop breathing.
Sensing this, your brain will force you to cough, choke or snort to clear the airway passage and resume normal breathing again, which disrupts your sleeping state. Typically, you won’t fully wake up or even remember it the following morning.
This wouldn’t be so much of an issue if this only occurred occasionally, however, people with sleep apnea experience this several hundreds of times a night! This continual disruption to your sleep patterns, combined with the constant restriction of oxygen results in poor-quality sleep every night.
Unfortunately, this takes a toll on your system and can put you at risk of other more serious health complications if left untreated, which is why treatment is available and should be considered.
The following factors are generally considered to contribute to sleep apnea:
However, keep in mind that everyone’s circumstances are different.
To read more about this, see our blog, ‘Is Your Neck Size Putting You at Risk of Sleep Apnea?’
As you don’t tend to remember rousing from sleep throughout the night due to restricted breathing, the only way you may suspect you have sleep apnea is either because:
Your partner or friends overhear you excessively snoring or choking when you go to bed or you experience a combination of the following symptoms:
Symptoms like these are frustrating enough every once in a while, but when they occur regularly, it may indicate that you suffer from sleep apnea. It’s recommended to go see a Sleep Professional or a GP.
They can assess your situation and diagnose you correctly because left untreated, sleep apnea can have a significant impact on your health.