What is sleep apnea?

Hi,guys!Now,lets explain what is apnea disease formally!

Apnea literally means “no breath” or “stopping breathing”. When you have sleep apnea, air stops flowing to your lungs for 10 seconds or longer – that is, you actually stop breathing.

This makes your blood oxygen level drop which in turn triggers your brain to wake you up just enough to take a breath.1 Then you fall back to sleep and the cycle begins again.

This can happen more than 30 times every hour and you may not even know it. As you can imagine, constantly being triggered back into breathing, hour after hour, night after night, can put a strain on your body. The next day you may feel tired and wrung out. Sleep apnea isn’t just an inconvenience. Left undiagnosed and untreated, it can have serious long-term effects on your health.2,3

It’s so common! 3 in 10 men and almost 1 in 5 women have sleep apnea.4

What causes sleep apnea?

In adults the most common cause of obstructive sleep apnea is obesity. Being overweight can add extra fat around the neck and airways. During sleep the throat and tongue muscles relax causing the airway to become blocked. But obesity is not the only cause - other factors are also associated with sleep apnea. Learn more about what causes sleep apnea

Central sleep apnea occurs when your brain doesn’t tell your body to take a breath. It’s normally associated with other conditions such as heart failure or stroke.

How to prevent sleep apnea?

If you have a family member who’s been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you’ll probably be concerned that you might also be at risk, especially if you snore. The risk of you having obstructive sleep apnea is about 50% higher if you have a parent, child or sibling with the condition.8 However, you can reduce your risk of sleep apnea in the future with some lifestyle changes.

• Losing weight (if you’re overweight), being physically active, quitting smoking and reducing your evening intake of alcohol can all reduce your risk of being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.
• If you suffer from insomnia and take sleeping pills it’s worth noting that sleeping pills may contribute to sleep apnea. Talk to your doctor about alternative remedies for insomnia.
• If you snore when you sleep on your back, try and get into the habit of sleeping on your side instead.

(The Article from ResMed.com.au)

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