Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Most Common Form of Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome not only affects adults but it also affects children. It is the most common form of sleep apnea and it is important to understand the causes and symptoms. Most people understand it has something to do with a person’s breathing while sleeping. They also know one of the symptoms can be excessive snoring.
Blocked Airways
Apnea means cessation of breath and in the case of a sleep apnea condition, the patient’s breath will start to turn shallow and it can even cease temporarily during their sleeping hours. In fact, such temporary cessations of breathing can occur as many as hundred times in a single night. When these episodes occur repeatedly the condition is then known as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and when an episode occurs the diaphragm as well as chest muscles will need to push and puff in order to reopen the blocked airways.
When all this pushing and puffing goes on it can and will disturb the patient’s sleep and the body organs will also not get sufficient oxygen and the heart rhythm will also become irregular. It is therefore necessary to first understand what obstructive sleep apnea syndrome symptoms are as only then can you determine well in time whether you have this problem or not.
Common Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome
- Sleepiness or fatigued during the day
- Experiencing sore throat or dry mouth when you wake up in the morning
- Headaches in the morning and your intellectual capabilities will be impaired
- Experience night sweats
- A sexual dysfunction problem
In the case of children suffering from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome the symptoms are not so obvious and include bedwetting, breathing through the mouth during the daytime, having difficulties in swallowing and sweating excessively at night.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute estimate that as many over twelve million people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Of this number, over fifty percent of sufferers are overweight and one person out of twenty-five will be middle aged and one in fifty middle-aged females will suffer from this condition.
Obstructive sleep apnea surgery is often the last treatment option and is only recommended when all other options have been exhausted and success in treating the condition still eludes the doctors. There are several different surgery choices including uvulopapalatopharyngoplasty and tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy.
If you feel you may be suffering from sleep apnea or you think your partner or child is, it would be wise to consult your doctor. Potential problems can arise if left untreated.
