Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that most people don’t know or think is a serious health problem. In fact, many people who experience this syndrome have serious health problems, even death, due to excessive lack of oxygen. Let’s find out the causes of sleep apnea in this article!
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What is sleep apnea syndrome?
Sleep apnea syndrome is a sleep disorder that causes a person to stop breathing completely while sleeping, repeating at least 10 times during each night’s sleep. In fact, it is very difficult for patients themselves to know they have this syndrome because it only occurs while sleeping. People around, if not paying attention, can’t detect the disease.
In fact, sleep apnea syndrome includes 3 different diseases:
- Obstructive apnea
- Central apnea
- Mixed apnea
Among them, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of the disease, more common in men. However, only about 10% of patients go to the doctor and know about their condition for treatment. The rest live with the disease until unfortunate complications occur.
The nature of sleep apnea syndrome is that during sleep, the tongue and soft tissues in the pharynx relax, causing partial or complete obstruction of the airway. Air passes through the restricted area, reducing oxygen in the blood and awakening the part of the brain involved to activate breathing.
Initially, the chest muscles will have to work harder to ventilate to make up for the time when breathing stops. After breathing returns to normal, the process repeats itself, causing the patient to have sleep apnea that repeats several times during the night.
The cause of sleep apnea syndrome is usually a partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep due to: tissue in the back wall of the throat is too large, the tongue being large, abnormalities in the jawbone, etc. Central sleep is caused by a problem in the brain that makes the signal that controls the breathing muscles of the patient when sleeping is disturbed.
Risk factors such as sinus problems, obesity, and enlargement of the VA, tongue, or tonsils increase the risk or make the person with sleep apnea more severe. Most people with central sleep apnea have concomitant neurological problems or heart failure.
Men are at twice the risk of sleep apnea syndrome than women, most of them are not diagnosed until middle age. This syndrome greatly affects the health of the patient, making the patient tired, increasing the risk of occupational accidents, and traffic accidents, reducing the quality of life, etc.
What are the symptoms of sleep apnea syndrome?
Up to 90% of people with obstructive sleep apnea are unaware of their condition. This is because the symptoms only occur during sleep, meaning that the patient is not aware that this is happening. However, this syndrome will have many health effects, if you are experiencing the following problems, check your risk of sleep apnea.
Headache when waking up in the morning.
Drowsiness a lot during the day even if you sleep longer at night and do not wake up.
Snoring, sleeping sometimes suffocating, stopping breathing, this sign needs someone next to you to check.
Urinating several times during the night when sleep apnea causes you to wake up due to an excessive lack of oxygen, the brain creates a stimulating impulse to restore breathing.
Reduced memory, decreased concentration due to poor sleep quality, and brain oxygen not responding well.
Resistant hypertension.
Obesity, overweight, abnormal structure in the maxillofacial region.
These symptoms may not be due to sleep apnea syndrome, but you should still go to a respiratory hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible. Many patients are not diagnosed and treated, leading to dangerous complications such as cerebrovascular accidents, myocardial infarction, traffic accidents, memory loss, loss of concentration, sudden death during the night, and pain in the chest.
Sleep apnea is common in middle age and beyond, but young children are still at risk. In children with the disease, other accompanying signs may be encountered such as mental instability, hyperactivity, bed-wetting, quarrelsomeness, reduced academic achievement, etc.
Can sleep apnea be treated?
There are many treatments for sleep apnea syndrome according to each condition and cause, so the patient needs to be diagnosed correctly with this pathological information. Commonly used treatments include:
- Lose weight if you have sleep apnea due to obesity.
- Lifestyle changes increase the quality of sleep and the functioning of the respiratory system.
- Surgical removal of the mechanical cause of airway obstruction.
- Wear a jaw brace.
- Continuous positive airway pressure therapy.
During treatment, patients will be monitored to assess their response to treatment. In addition to treating sleep apnea syndrome, it is necessary to treat and control both the causes and risk factors for the disease such as blood fat, metabolic disorders, blood pressure, etc.
Final thought
The following habits will help patients with sleep apnea improve sleep quality, and reduce symptoms: Lose weight, stop using sedatives, avoid alcohol or drugs, and change your mind. sleeping position, stop smoking.
Top News hopes this article can help you learn more about the causes of sleep apnea and wishes your health is always in the best condition!
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