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Sleep apnea is a fatal sleep disorder where the patient faces difficulty in breathing while sleeping. In this case, the breathing may start and stop when the person is in a deep sleep. The person also experiences loud snoring and feel fatigue in the morning even after a full night's sleep. Timely consultation with the doctor helps in preventing further complication of the disease like heart problems.
There are three principal types of sleep apnea:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
It is the most common type of sleep apnea where the patient faces repeated upper airway disturbances when he is in a deep sleep. Here the throat muscle may become relaxed which may cause breathing to stop for some seconds and again start after some time.
Central Sleep Apnea
It is another common sleep apnea condition where the patient’s muscle does not receive a proper signal from the brain to control breathing while sleeping.
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome
It is also known as treatment-emergent central sleep. Here the patient suffers from both obstructive sleep apnea as well as central sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea occurs when the patient’s breathing starts and stops for about 10 seconds in the sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when:
You have a high risk of acquiring sleep apnea if:
The symptoms of sleep apnea include:
Sleep apnea test or polysomnogram helps in the diagnosis of sleep apnea. It is a multiple component diagnostic test conducted in the sleep disorder centre. Here the physical activities which go on in the patient’s body during sleep get electronically transmitted and recorded by highly advanced medical instruments. These recordings are later on analysed by an expert who concludes whether the patient has sleep apnea or not. In addition to this test, the doctor may also advise an electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), electrocardiogram (ECG), snore microphone, and nasal airflow tests to achieve a better idea of the functioning of organs in the respiratory tracts and central nervous system.
If the patient does not undergo timely treatment for sleep apnea, then it may lead to several complications like:
Sleep apnea may be mild, moderate or severe. The treatment for this disease depends on the category on which the patient falls in the current situation. If the patient suffers from mild sleep apnea, then the doctor recommends certain lifestyle changes like quitting smoking and losing weight. If the apnea reaches a moderate level, then specific treatment procedures like “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)” therapy helps in managing the condition. In case of severe sleep apnea, surgical interventions like tissue removal, maxillomandibular advancement or tracheostomy by removing the airway block prove useful.
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Dr abhinav gupta
Senior consultant Neurologist