What is apnea sleep

For example, a stroke, infection of the brain, or in rare cases a brain tumor may damage the brain stem.

Pain medicines like opioids can also interfere with this normal process of breathing. Sleep apnea can lead to sleep deprivation from constant nightly interruptions and shallower overall sleep. Lack of sleep is associated with far-reaching health consequences that affect a person physically, mentally, and emotionally, and as a result, it comes as no surprise that sleep apnea has been tied to diverse health problems.

Because of how it affects oxygen balance in the body, untreated sleep apnea raises dangers for various types of cardiovascular issues including high blood pressure, heart attack, heart disease , and stroke.

If you have symptoms of sleep apnea, you should make sure to talk with a doctor. Without understanding the root causes of your sleep apnea, it is difficult to treat. When necessary, the doctor can recommend an overnight sleep study to analyze your sleep, including your breathing. If a person is diagnosed with OSA or CSA, treatment is often effective at improving sleep and reducing the risks of long-term health complications.

Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight , reducing use of sedatives, and sleeping on your side, can resolve some cases of OSA. These devices push air through a mask and into the airway to keep it open during sleep. Some types of mouthpieces that hold the jaw or tongue in a specific position are an option for people with certain anatomical features that trigger mild OSA.

In addition, though usually not the first treatment option, surgery to remove tissue and expand the airway can be considered. Medications may be prescribed to help with daytime sleepiness in people with this symptom.

Treatment for CSA typically centers on managing the underlying condition, such as a brain infection, heart failure, or altitude adjustment, that causes disordered breathing. Eric Suni has over a decade of experience as a science writer and was previously an information specialist for the National Cancer Institute. Gould has practiced dentistry since and specializes in treating obstructive sleep apnea.

He is the founder of the Sleep Restoration Program. Learn why this may be better for…. Sleep apnea headaches are a type of morning headache common in people with obstructive sleep apnea. Learn more about what…. An actigraphy device tracks your movements so your doctor can analyze your sleep patterns.

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Our editors and medical experts rigorously evaluate every article and guide to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date, and free of bias. Sleep Apnea What it is, its risk factors, its health impacts, and how it can be treated.

Updated July 9, Written by Eric Suni. Medically Reviewed by Joel Gould. Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, you might have sleep apnea. If you think you might have sleep apnea, see your doctor. Treatment can ease your symptoms and might help prevent heart problems and other complications. The signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas overlap, sometimes making it difficult to determine which type you have.

The most common signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include:. Loud snoring can indicate a potentially serious problem, but not everyone who has sleep apnea snores.

Talk to your doctor if you have signs or symptoms of sleep apnea. Ask your doctor about any sleep problem that leaves you fatigued, sleepy and irritable. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles that support the soft tissues in your throat, such as your tongue and soft palate, temporarily relax. When these muscles relax, your airway is narrowed or closed, and breathing is momentarily cut off. This occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax. These muscles support the soft palate, the triangular piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate uvula , the tonsils, the side walls of the throat and the tongue.

When the muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in. You can't get enough air, which can lower the oxygen level in your blood. Your brain senses your inability to breathe and briefly rouses you from sleep so that you can reopen your airway. This awakening is usually so brief that you don't remember it. You might snort, choke or gasp. This pattern can repeat itself five to 30 times or more each hour, all night, impairing your ability to reach the deep, restful phases of sleep.

You can snore loudly and not have sleep apnea, and you may even have sleep apnea without much snoring. People with sleep apnea might also suffer from unexplained fatigue and mood swings, because their breathing interruptions continually wake them and prevent them from settling into a deep, nourishing sleep. The consequences can be significant, Jun says. Other sufferers might wake up with a dry mouth, since sleep apnea tends to make you breathe with an open mouth, drying out your saliva.

Some awaken with a headache, which may be caused by low oxygen or high carbon dioxide levels during sleep. There are many studies showing that losing weight can either completely cure you of sleep apnea or at least make it less severe," Jun says. Several studies have shown an association between sleep apnea and problems like type 2 diabetes , strokes , heart attacks and even a shortened lifespan, says Jun.

Why this connection? For one thing, obesity is common in sleep apnea patients, and obesity greatly increases risks of diabetes, stroke and heart attack, he says. Furthermore, evidence suggests an independent link between sleep apnea and diabetes.

For people who are overweight or obese, weight loss is key for treating or avoiding sleep apnea. People who accumulate fat in the neck, tongue and upper belly are especially vulnerable to getting sleep apnea.

This weight reduces the diameter of the throat and pushes against the lungs, contributing to airway collapse during sleep. Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. The most common type is called obstructive sleep apnoea OSA. It can be hard to tell if you have sleep apnoea. It may help to ask someone to stay with you while you sleep so they can check for the symptoms.

If someone else has seen you have the symptoms, it can help to bring them with you. If a GP thinks you might have sleep apnoea, they may refer you to a specialist sleep clinic for tests. At the clinic, you may be given devices that check things like your breathing and heartbeat while you sleep.

You'll be asked to wear these overnight so doctors can check for signs of sleep apnoea.