What Is Sleep Apnea?

Thesis: Sleep Apnea is becoming more of a dangerous disease that more people are starting to be diagnosed with. It is extremely important that Sleep Apnea is emphasized so that more people are aware of it.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, yet under recognized condition. It is estimated that some form of OSA affects approximately 17% of the adult population. Over the years, this number has consistently increased possibly secondary to the rising prevalence of obesity in the population [1]. The pathophysiology of OSA is postulated to be related to decreased parasympathetic activity during sleep, leading to decreased muscle tone in the upper airway, which can lead to repetitive collapse of the upper airway, causing the characteristic apneic or hypopneic events that define the diagnosis of OSA [2].

There are many people who struggle to sleep at night. One reason that they might struggle is because of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is defined as “a reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep” (Medicine Net; Nov. 2105). With the help of many types, treatment, medication, and devices changes your lifestyle Can help with sleep apnea.

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).

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure delivers a constant airflow to people while they are asleep to prevent their airways from collapsing during the night. It is often the most prescribed and common form of treatment. It is a pain free treatment, which may take some getting used to, but once you are comfortable with using the CPAP therapy regularly, you will notice the benefits. You will begin feeling less tired throughout the day and you and your partner will experience a much better quality of sleep. Not forgetting that eventually, the rewards of treating your sleep apnea will put you less at risk of developing any other serious health

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).

Sleep Apnea, by Davis, Andrew S, explains the breathing cessations during sleep. Sleep Apnea reduces the amount of oxygen flowing to the brain which causes brain issues. People with sleep apnea usually wake up at night because of the shortness of breathing, then resume back to sleep after adjusting their breathing. Davis states that due to sleep apnea, a few individual has sleeping issues such as snoring, headaches or even find it hard to fall asleep. Sleep apnea is also existed in children (from 0.5% to 3% of the population) which cause them often be crying at night and tired in the next morning. In his writing, Davis states that there are six characteristics of sleep apnea. The most noticeable characteristic is the common nighttime symptoms

Nearly 1 in 15 adults have at least moderate sleep apnea and approximately 85% of those individuals are undiagnosed and untreated.

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.

Imagine that a person is sleeping and all of a sudden they wake up and are unable to breath. It is a scary thing but this happens to millions of people each year. One of the causes of this is Sleep Apnea. This paper will help identify the disorder of Sleep Apnea, its symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment.

Although nearly everyone is susceptible to sleep apnea, overweight people are much more at risk (American Sleep Apnea Association). It is without surprise then that the chiropractic study by Thaddeus Gala and David Seaman focuses on lifestyle modifications in order to treat obstructive sleep apnea (Thaddeus Gala and David Seaman). This study features a 55 year old white male who faced severe sleep apnea for ten years. The patient was in to seek management for his severe and chronic back pain which afflicted him for most of his adult life. In the patient’s history, he also complained about his severe obstructive sleep apnea. He had done surgery to treat his sleep apnea but this did not clear up his symptoms. Even with the CPAP machine, the patient suffered severe sleep apnea. The patient was encouraged to go through an “anti-inflammatory” diet by avoiding refined sugars and limiting alcohol consumption. He was also encouraged to regularly exercise (Thaddeus Gala and David Seaman). These modifications resulted in dramatic changes to the patient’s health. He no longer required the CPAP machine and his obstructive sleep apnea was eradicated. The patient also reported the following health

Sleep apnea is a chronic medical condition where the affected patient repetitively stops breathing during sleep. These pauses in breathing can last 10 seconds or more and cause reduced oxygen levels in the blood. Obstructive Apnea is caused by obstruction of the upper airway. Central sleep apnea

Doctors don’t just prescribe medications for treatment of sleep apnea there are other options. They may prescribe Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Device (CPAP), oral device (OA), surgery, and diet. (Ronald M. Harper, 1988) The outcome depends on the patients’ compliance to treatment. I would like to explain what causes OSA, the treatments for OSA, and the negative effects if left untreated.

Sleep apnea is a condition where an individual's airway collapses during sleeping. As a result, the person goes without breathing for up to a minute and wakes momentarily gasping for breath. This can happen dozens, even hundreds, of times throughout the night. Not getting the oxygen they need, the brain,

Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing pauses during sleep. When you have sleep apnea, you move out of deep sleep and into light sleep. As a result, you do not sleep well and your body does not get the rest it needs. If sleep apnea is not treated, it can lead to: