Do you think you may have sleep apnea?

What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by a reduction or stopping of airflow during sleep. This means literally means that you go for a period of time without breathing or such restricted breathing that vital oxygen is not available for your body to use. When your body is lacking the oxygen it needs to the vital organs, it reacts and goes into a panic mode sending alarm signals throughout your body. This alarm actually startles your body into breathing again. With this reaction your body is uncapable of obtaining deep sleep due to the constant barrage of signals to the breath. The deep stages of sleep is when the body restores and heals itself. An apnea is defined as a stop in breathing for a period of no less than 10 seconds and many times last for much longer than this. Ten seconds doesn't seem like a big thing, but repeat this pattern over and over and you can see it quickly adds up. For myself, my sleep study showed that I had an average of 30 apneas per hour. That means I had an apnea every 2 minutes -- but each apnea averaged 30 seconds. In between the apneas I was also having hypopneas -- meaning I wasn't having a full fledge apnea but my oxygen intake was reduced. With the apneas/hypopneas your blood oxygen saturation goes down. When it dips below 90%, this is a cause for alarm. Mine dipped down to 83%. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea contributes to the following health issues:
High blook pressure
Stroke
Daytime sleepiness
Insomnia
Mood disorders
Weight gain
Heart failure
Abnormal beating of the heart
and others

Do you know the symptoms of sleep apnea?
The symptoms include the following:
Excessive daytime sleepiness, which is falling asleep when you normally should not, such as while you are eating, talking, or driving.
Waking with an unrefreshed feeling after sleep, having problems with memory and concentration, feeling tired, and experiencing personality changes.
Morning or night headaches. About half of all people with sleep apnea report headaches.
Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth at night.
Swelling of the legs if you are obese.
Getting up during the night to urinate (nocturia).
Sweating and chest pain while you are sleeping.

Others may observe the following:
Episodes of not breathing (apnea), which may occur as few as 5 times an hour (mild apnea) to more than 50 times an hour (severe apnea). How many episodes you have determines how severe your sleep apnea is.
Loud snoring. Almost all people who have sleep apnea snore, but not all people who snore have sleep apnea.
Restless tossing and turning during sleep.
Nighttime choking or gasping spells.

There are three types of sleep apnea.
There is the obstructive sleep apnea. This is where your throat tissues close, not allowing air to enter your lungs. This is the most common form of sleep apnea and the majority of people have this type. It is treated using a cpap, apap, bilevel (if your pressure requirements are high usually), dental devices, or surgery.

There is cental sleep apnea. This is where the brain somehow doesn't tell the body to breathe. It is not as common as obstructive sleep apnea and takes specialized cpaps/apaps that can help nudge the body into breathing.

There is what is known as complex sleep apnea. This is where a person has both obstructive and central sleep apnea. This type of apnea also requires the more specialized machines.

In order to determine which type of sleep apnea you have takes a sleep study.

Some doctors use a sleep study done at home, while others have you go to a sleep lab -- either associated with a hospital or a separate facility.

If you suspect that you have sleep apnea and have not yet made an appointment with your doctor there are a few steps you can take to help.

Do NOT sleep on your back. Sleep on your side. This helps prevent the tissue in the throat from collapsing somewhat. Sew a tennis ball on the back of your night clothes approximately in the middle.
Lose weight
Avoid caffiene
Limit the use of alcohol and medications
Get plenty of sleep

Do NOT forget to call and make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms and determine if you need a sleep study done. Don't put it off another day.