What is Sleep Apnea?

Most people don’t realize they have sleep apnea because it only occurs during sleep. Could you have sleep apnea? A sleep partner might be the first to notice signs such as snoring or sudden halt in breathing. Untreated sleep apnea could increase the risk of many health conditions, so it is very important to seek out care to resolve this dangerous condition.

Sleep apnea is a disorder results in one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping. Normally your airway remains open, but with obstructive sleep apnea the airway collapses or becomes blocked or partially blocked during sleep, which may cause snoring or no breathing at all. When this happens, you usually move out of deep sleep and into light sleep because with little or no air flowing to the lungs.

Disturbances in your breathing reduces the quality of your sleep, which leads to excessive daytime sleepiness. Each episode may last seconds to minutes, and repeat 1 to 100 times per hour. Sometimes obstructed breathing ends with a gasp. Watch the video below. As an exercise try to hold your breath when the airway is blocked and breathing stops!

[embedyt]http://youtu.be/9bFTcmREtqQ[/embedyt]

Central apnea issues arise when your brain that controls your breathing doesn’t send the correct signal. Central sleep apnea is less common but can affect anyone.

To find out if you have sleep apnea or non-restful sleep, schedule an appointment. We are here to guide you in the right direction. Follow the links below to learn more.