Sleeping Apnea Essay

The amount of sleep that a healthy individual needs is largely determined by two factors: genetics and age. Genetics plays a role in both the amount of sleep a person needs, as well as his or her preference for waking up early (these are the so-called "larks," or morning-type individuals) or staying up late (these are the "owls," or evening-type people). Our internal biological clock, which regulates the cycling of many functions including the sleep/wake cycle, can vary slightly from individual to individual. Although our internal clock is set to approximately 24 hours, if your clock runs faster than 24 hours, you tend to be a "lark" and wake up early; if your clock runs more slowly, you tend to be an "owl" and go

As stated in a previous statistic, sleep disorders unfortunately target a wide variety of ages. Children are commonly affected by Sleep Apnea, teeth grinding, Night Terrors, Nightmares, sleep walking, Restless Leg Syndrome, bedwetting, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Adults tend to be affected by Insomnia, Hypersomnia, Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Sleep Paralysis, Hypopnea Syndrome, and Noctoria. Sleep disorders are very common and also very dangerous in some circumstances. Ill treating or ignoring sleep disorders can lead to lethargy, poor mood, lack of motivation, and may negatively impact

Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder where a person has experiences of not breathing during sleep. Over 20 million Americans, mostly overweight men, suffer from sleep apnea. Despite these numbers, sleep apnea is often not treated directly because its symptoms are thought to be those of depression, stress, or just loud snoring. There may be a genetic component to this disorder as it often occurs within families.People with sleep apnea stop breathing for at least 10 seconds at a time; these short stops in breathing can happen up to 400 times every night.

     Sleep is essential to life; it is one of several components, including food and water, which keep the living alive. However, a significant percentage of the human population has considerable difficulty reaching and maintaining Stage IV within their sleeping patterns, the stage that allows the mind and body to fall into a deep and restorative sleep, otherwise known as REM sleep. At the core of this difficulty is a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea, a "serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood" (Sleep Apnea). Indeed, obstructive sleep apnea can be very dangerous if it is not properly detected and treated.

          The dictionary defines sleep as “The natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored” (Webster’s 638) If one is waking up on an average of 300 times per night, the chances of complete body restoration are minimal. The Greek word apnea literally means “without breath”. An estimated 30 million Americans stop breathing during their sleep sometimes 30-40 times per hour and often for a minute, or longer each time. Of these, about 20 million are in the early stages, and about 10 million have progressed to a level of severity that requires treatment. According to the National

Sleep apnea is a serious health epidemic that is linked to another problem currently gripping the nation: the rising rate of obesity. Obesity and sleep apnea are so tightly connected that it is hard to discuss one without the other. Understanding the connections between obesity and sleep apnea can help you create a path towards treating both of these dangerous problems.

The two most common causes of sleep disorder is central and obstructive sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is when our breathing is interrupted throughout the night because your brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs with blocked airways and your struggle to breathe triggers coughing or snoring – in actuality your body is grasping for air.

Getting restful sleep is vital. During sleep, blood pressure and body temperature changes, while respiration and heart rate decreases. Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is defined by repeated interruptions in breathing and / or reduced respiratory flow during sleep. The most common symptoms include difficulty breathing, snoring, restless sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, frequent headaches, enlarged tonsils and large tongue volume, and irritability. Sleep apnea can be mild, moderate or severe. If it's left untreated, sleeping apnea may lead to diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity or depression. One common treatment is the use of sleep apnea devices.

Sleep apnea is becoming increasingly more concerning for the association this sleep disorder poses to the psychological effects on people. Sleep deprivation is only one example of the effects caused by this medical condition which could be related to increased anxiety and depression. Millions of Americans suffer from sleep apnea without even realizing the sleep disorder is creating a problem. There has been significant progress in identifying sleep apnea, especially obstructive sleep apnea, and creating successful methods to help individuals more easily live with it. The thought of losing breath while sleeping without knowing this is occurring can intimidate an individual and his or her family.

that Dr. Arthur J. Speilman of the Department of Psychology in New York spoke of,

Often people who struggle with sleep apnea have a tendency to be overweight. Studies have shown that many were overweight to begin with and that weight contributes to sleep apnea. It is also true, that sleep and oxygen deprivation slows down the metabolism and more effort is required to burn calories. In addition, people who feel sluggish tend to eat more and exercise less.

Sleep apnea is common, nine percent of women and twenty-four percent of men ages thirty to sixty years old suffer from this disorder. There are many causes of sleep apnea which is why it is so prevalent. People having a body mass index of twenty-five to twenty-nine are considered overweight and a body mass index above thirty is considered obese. Roughly fifty-five percent of men and fifty percent of women are obese. Forty percent of obese people suffer from sleep apnea, which makes obesity a very prevalent cause of sleep apnea. A large neck can also contribute to sleep apnea. If the neck circumference of a male measures greater than seventeen inches or a woman’s measures more than sixteen inches they are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

Nearly 20 million Americans knowingly suffer from sleep apnea, millions more simply suffer from the side effects and don't know why. One of the most common ailments among senior citizens, sleep apnea leads to more than just feelings of sluggishness, forgetfulness, and feeling tired. It can also lead to a plethora of severe medical problems, including high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and depression.

Since the dawn of time humans, for some reason or another has had difficulty with sleep. The cause could vary from the rock pillow was too hard to a pea under the mattress. We have now come to learn that a disorder called sleep apnea could be the reason. According to the National Institutes of Health approximately 12 million United States citizens were afflicted by this disorder (Singer). The Greek word Apnea means without breath and sleep apnea is an involuntary cessation of breathing that occurs while a person is asleep (American Sleep Apnea Association). There are three different types of sleep apnea, when the back of the throat closes called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), for Central Sleep Apnea the brain “forgets” to signal muscles to

Insomnia affects almost half of adults living in America. (# 8, 2012) This is a shared sleeping disorder that many people across the universe are diagnosed with. Several causes of insomnia include exercising too much, stress, withdrawal from alcohol or a certain drug, physical circumstances, and diseases. People with insomnia usually have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, which causes people to have poor-quality sleep, which will affect their mood, energy, and productiveness for the next day. (MediLexicon, Intl., 2012) More symptoms of insomnia include waking up earlier than needed, having trouble falling back asleep, and being in a bad mood the following day. Insomnia can cause many more problems such as weight