The Effects Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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.

OSA is characterized by repeated episodes of either partial or complete obstruction of the upper airways during sleep due to excessive relaxation of airway musculature, which leads to cessation

Central sleep apnea, in contrast, takes place when the brain neglects to seen the proper signals to the muscles involved in breathing. Individuals with this type of sleep apnea find they have trouble getting to sleep at night or remaining asleep. In addition, they often report they are short of breath, and this condition is very serious, as it may bring about heart disease or a stroke. With complex sleep apnea, the person suffers from both central and obstructive sleep apnea. This type of condition is very

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.

Apnea is defined as the cessation of respiratory airflow. Sleep Apnea is a growing disorder affecting children and adults without discrimination to age, gender, race or sex. There are three main categories of apnea: central, obstructive, and mixed. Although there are many forms of sleeping disorders Central Sleep Apnea(CSA) is classified to be a less common sleeping disorder characterized by life threating health conditions not limited to death if not diagnosed in a timely fashion and treated to prevent or reduce the symptoms that cause the apnea threshold Pac02 levels to increase or decrease with cessation of airflow during sleep. Central sleep apnea can increase the risk stroke, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Only ten to fifteen percent people with sleep- disordered breathing are classified as having Central Sleep Apnea. Common sign and symptoms of Central Sleep Apnea include trouble staying awake, shortness of breath, abnormal breathing patterns during sleep, and sudden awakenings coupled with shortness of breath. Central Sleep Apnea occurs when there is a decline in respiratory effort and as a result of inadequate medullary responsiveness or poor muscle coordination for breathing. Central sleep apnea can be split into more than one main category depending on the underlying conditions that contribute to the specific disorder. Depending on which type of central sleep apnea a person has, a doctor will recommend therapy, medications, or surgery to treat the

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep–breathing disorder characterized by momentary episodes of either complete breathing cessation for periods of ten seconds or more (apnea) or significant reductions in breathing amplitude (hypopnea) caused by a collapsed or obstructed airway; these two conditions can lead to hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in blood) and hypercapnia (high levels of carbon dioxide in blood). Patients are categorized as having mild, moderate or severe OSA depending on the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), which is defined as the total numbers of apnea/hypopnea episodes per hour of sleep. In normal individuals the index is usually 5 or lower, 5-15 in mild, 15-30 in moderate and 30 or more in severe OSA patients (1, 2). In patients with mild OSA the oxyhemoglobin saturation drops to 95% and can drop below 80% in severe cases. Obstruction of the airways results in greater breathing effort and fluctuations in intrathoracic pressure, resulting in arousal, sleep interruption and reopening of the airway (3).

Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition. It is characterized by repeated cessation of breathing while sleeping, due mostly to complete or partial pharyngeal obstruction. Objectively, it is recognized by a combination of symptoms and laboratory results. These include repetitive apneas and hypopneas, which are accompanied by hypoxia, sleep arousals, and hemodynamic changes.9–12 Moreover, activation of the sympathetic nervous system during respiratory events potentiates vasoconstriction and often triggers increases in blood pressure and heart rate.10,13 Obstructive sleep apnea is also associated with several cardiorespiratory problems (e.g., loud snoring, loud gasps, and daytime breathlessness).14,15

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder caused by a blockage of the airways during sleep. It causes interruptions of the breath during sleep and can actually wake you up! This causes poor quality of sleep and stress on the entire body.

Sleep apnea is a life-threatening condition, which is the collapse of the throat and block the airway. Also known as obstructive sleep apnea – OSA, it is associated with obesity, and one of the major risk for heart disease. According to Dr. O’Neil in an OSA the upper airway closes off because the muscles that hold it open lose tone. Therefore, each time the airway closes, there is a pause in breathing. The sleep deprivation worseness obesity as well as causes a severe fatigue during the day. In addition, sleep apnea increase risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke (American Heart Association, 2015).

Apnea is a greek word meaning “no breath”. When you sleep and experience a complete collapse of the upper airway caused by relaxation of the muscles controlling the soft palate and tongue you have an apnea or a total cessation of air flow in the throat.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder affecting millions of Americans today. It is basically a disruption in ones sleep pattern. Research states that …“Sleep apnea affects an estimated 5% to 10% of Americans and is undiagnosed in most of them” (Weintraub, 2013, p. 1) Sleep apnea contributes too numerous health issues within the human body or worse death. For these reasons, further research and treatments should be funded.

Sleep apnea has many different possible causes. In adults, the most common cause of OSA is obesity, which is associated with soft tissue of the throat and mouth. With adults there are many other factors associated with the condition. In children, causes of obstructive sleep apnea often include enlarged tonsils or adenoids and dental conditions such as a large overbite. Some of the less common causes include a tumor or growth in the airway, and birth defects such as Down syndrome and Pierre-Robin syndrome (Jensen). No matter the age, if OSA goes untreated for too long it can lead to serious complications, including accidents, cardiovascular disease, premature death. If you are experiencing any signs and symptoms related to obstructive sleep

Sleep Apnea affects a person’s breathing while they sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic there are three types of Sleep Apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Central Sleep Apnea and Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome. The most common is OSA. In OSA, the throat muscles relax which in turn causes the airway to collapse causing shallowing breathing or lapses in breathing. Central Sleep Apnea is caused by the brain not sending the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome is when a person has both OSA and Central Sleep Apnea.

To start, the website gives the definition of sleep apnea, which is “a disorder in which breathing is disrupted during sleep” (). The website also goes on to discuss how serious sleep apnea is and how there are two different forms of the disorder, central and obstructive. Also, the website states that sleep apnea can occur in all ages of a person, and can produce several different types of symptoms.