Sleep apnea is a term that you’ve heard before but little seems to be offered in the way of an explanation when you ask others for details. In this post, we’re going to discuss sleep apnea and the potential implications of not only having it but living with it.

What is Sleep Apnea?

 There is a simple explanation and there is a much more complex explanation for sleep apnea. We’ll cover both of these below for those who are not initiated to the concept:

The Simple Explanation: Sleep apnea can be described as constant pauses in an individual’s breathing during their sleeping period. It occurs several times per hour, and these incidents can last for more than ten seconds.

The Full Explanation: During the sleep period, blood-oxygen levels are decreased and the brain’s failsafe kicks in, causing the individual in question to awaken, leading to a gasp or a snort. This can be very disconcerting, and it often leads to snoring as opposed to a sudden awakening. Most individuals who suffer from the condition will endure it for years before being diagnosed, and it is very difficult to detect if you live alone. In many cases, however, even if the individual is not living alone, the snoring will be passed off as normal, or as a personal trait. While this can be a fact, more often than not, the constant snoring is indicative of a more serious and potentially life-threatening problem.

A Recap of Symptoms

 If you suffer from any of the following, you may be dealing with sleep apnea, and would benefit from a sleeping test:

• Constant Nighttime Awakening
• Snoring (As detected by others, or by yourself via recording)
• Daytime Sleepiness (This can take on the appearance of narcolepsy, as an individual may constantly fall asleep in random locations, generally after sitting down. Note that snoring will occur in this instance as well)

Other Ways to Determine the Existence of Sleep Apnea

 Sleep apnea is a condition that may be endured for years before an official diagnosis is tendered by a medical practitioner, but detection is difficult. This is not a condition that can be found via blood tests due to the catalyst being more of a circumstantial occurrence. In other words, the general cause is the airway becoming blocked at night. As we stated before, the suspicion is usually arrived at by a family member, and at that point, the individual should be referred to a specialist for an at home sleep study.

What Can Be Done

An individual who is definitively diagnosed with sleep apnea within the parameters of a home oxygen test or a sleep study will usually be provided with a CPAP machine which forces oxygen down the individual’s airway during sleep. The machine itself can be uncomfortable at first, but the consequences of foregoing treatment can be much more dire than momentary discomfort.

The Consequences of Sleep Apnea

 Failure to treat sleep apnea can result in the prolonging of already-present symptoms within the individual including:

• Increased Risk of Heart Attack due to Inherent Factors
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Obesity
  • Stroke
  • Diabetes
• Potential for Arrhythmia(Inconsistent or Irregular Heartbeat)
• Potential Risk of Heart Failure
• High Risk of Work-Related Incidents (Due to Constant Drowsiness or Exhaustion)

These symptoms pose a clear and present danger to the affected individual and with that being the case, it is strongly recommended that you and those around you treat snoring and excessive drowsiness with the utmost seriousness. Some of the treatments can include a CPAP mask or an APAP machine. You may also consider surgery in some more severe cases, and there are also certain lifestyle changes that should be made.

Consider an In-Home Sleep Study

 When an individual is suspected of having sleep apnea, a sleeping test or sleep study is usually ordered to determine the severity of the condition. These studies are often performed at medical facilities, however, there are alternatives, such as home testing kits that allow you to diagnose the condition and present the results to your physician for further action. A Home Sleep Test (HST) is a portable device roughly the size of a phone handset or a coffee cup, and it is referred to as an ‘Unattended Sleep Study’ as a medical professional will not be present. The sleep study will examine a variety of different factors including:

• Airflow (Nasal and Oral)
• Respiratory Effort
• Oxygen (Oxymeter)

The tests have become more and more sophisticated as of late, now coming in the form of high-tech gadgets that can easily render a more accurate test result for the patient. Check out our devices and see which one would work best for you – you might be just a few steps away from an effective treatment for your sleep apnea.

As we said before, sleep apnea is a very serious condition which can lead to detrimental, life-altering effects. If you feel that you are suffering from it, seek out assistance from your medical professional immediately; your life could very well be on the line.