What Are The Causes, Symptoms and Types of Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a very serious sleeping disorder that millions of individuals all over the world suffer from. In this article, we will discuss the three different types of sleep apnea and their various causes, symptoms and treatment methods.

Despite the seriousness of sleep apnea, there are plenty of remedies that can be used to stop the disorder completely. However, before being able to start on a treatment, you will first have to figure out which of the three types of sleep apnea you are suffering from.

Identifying the Type of Sleep Apnea You Have

The most common of the three types of sleep apnea is the obstructive sleep apnea, sometimes called OSA. It is triggered by the presence of a physical blockage or obstruction in the air passage, preventing the regular flow of air into the person’s lungs.

Central sleep apnea is the second type of this sleep breathing problem. This particular type is quite rare and is caused when the brain fails to deliver the signal to breathe. Central sleep apnea is often seen in people who have a brain infection, a serious respiratory disease, or a brain tumor.

Finally, there is the MSA or mixed sleep apnea, which is a blend of the two previous types. This is considered to be a not-so-serious variation of the disorder, and is usually treated using simple remedies like lifestyle changes or sleeping aids.

What Are the Causes and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

Each of these types of sleep apnea comes with its own set of specific causes but the symptoms are basically the same for all of them. In particular, people suffering from all types of sleep apnea stop breathing up to hundreds of times during the night and wake up frequently due to these cessations in breathing.

Sleep apnea can happen to anyone, but there are certain factors that can increase your risk, such as smoking, alcohol drinking, obesity or the use of certain medications. Therefore, if you want to reduce your chances of suffering from this condition, you can start by minimizing your negative lifestyle habits and making positive changes to your diet and exercise routines.

If you are not sure whether you are already suffering from sleep apnea or not, here are some of the symptoms that you may look for:

• Loud snoring
• Frequently waking up throughout the night
• Unexplained tiredness upon waking up in the morning
• Irritability, forgetfulness and sleepiness during the day

Of course, don’t self diagnose. Your health care professional will be able to determine the type of sleep apnea you may or may not have.