Snoring and Sleep Disorders

In simple terms Sleep Apnea is a medical term given to a sleep disorder where the main symptom is characterized by short pauses in breathing during sleep. Sufferers literally stop breathing for a few seconds sometimes up to 30 times an hour. Often the sufferer will make a loud snorting, snoring or choking noise each time they resume normal breathing again.

Even though they may be completely unaware of their condition the end result is that the sufferer of Sleep Apnea does not get a proper nights sleep. Its this lack of good quality sleep that leaves sufferers of Sleep Apnea feeling tired and sleepy during the day and in extreme cases this can lead to chronic daytime fatigue.

Because suffers of Sleep Apnea are most often unaware that they have the condition Sleep Apnea can go a long time without being diagnosed. Quite often it is the sufferers partner that notices that they stop breathing for a short while or other symptoms that are commonly associated with Sleep Apnea such as snoring and daytime drowsiness that alert the sufferer to his or her condition.

Types of Sleep Apnea

There are three different types of Sleep Apnea, OSA or Obstructed Sleep Apnea, CSA or Central Sleep Apnea and mixed Sleep Apnea which is a combination of OSA and CSA.

Obstructed Sleep Apnea OSA

Obstructed Sleep Apnea is the most common type of Sleep Apnea and is caused by a blockage to the airway; usually because the soft tissues at the back of the throat collapse during sleep. When this happens the sufferer stops breathing for a short while which then causes them to wake up and so open the airway again. This can happen up to 100 times a night in severe cases. There are several forms of treatment that a doctor may prescribe to sufferers of Obstructive Sleep Apnea including the use of a CPAP mask which delivers a small amount of pressurized air to the sufferer thus keeping the airway open. If the sufferer is overweight then sometimes this can be a contributing factor in Obstructive Sleep Apnea and so a weight loss program may help.

Central Sleep Apnea CSA

Central Sleep Apnea is quite rare and is caused when the brain forgets to send a signal to the muscles to take a breath.