Obstructive Sleep Apnea

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is when a person’s breathing repeatedly stops during sleep. It can be caused by several factors — soft tissue relaxing and narrowing the airway, a deviated nasal bone, enlarged tonsils, a large tongue, or an abnormal jaw structure. People with obstructive sleep apnea can stop breathing hundreds of times in a single night without realizing it. Watch the video explaining sleep apnea . Contact us about sleep apnea treatment .Left untreated, sleep apnea raises your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. It’s also a genuine road safety concern — daytime sleepiness caused by sleep apnea has been linked to driving accidents. A larger neck circumference is one common indicator of obstructive sleep apnea.There are two kinds of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This type occurs when something obstructs your airway during sleep — relaxed soft tissue, enlarged tonsils, a large tongue, or a deviated nasal bone are all common causes. When breathing stops, oxygen can’t reach your lungs, and your body briefly jerks you awake to restart breathing before you fall back asleep. This can repeat hundreds of times a night, which is why patients often wake up feeling exhausted without realizing how disrupted their sleep actually was.

Central Sleep Apnea

This occurs when the brain fails to send the proper signal to breathe, due to an issue with the body’s respiratory control center. Central sleep apnea is linked to how the central nervous system functions.

Who gets Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is most common in overweight men with a larger neck circumference.

Why stop breathing is dangerous during sleep

When you stop breathing, your blood oxygen drops and carbon dioxide builds up in your body — this is what jolts you awake, even though you rarely remember it happening. Each time, your heart rate spikes and your blood pressure rises, and over time this repeated strain contributes to high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Symptoms and Causes

Causes:

Obstructive sleep apnea happens when soft tissue in the airway collapses during sleep, most commonly in people who are obese. Learn about sleep apnea testing in Pakistan

Symptoms:

• Loud or normal Snoring.
• No Freshness during daytime
• Disturbed sleep, awake during sleep unknowingly.
• gasping or choking during sleep
• Dry mouth in the morning
• Low concentration, forgetfulness or irritability.
• Mood changing (depression or anxiety)
• Frequent nighttime urination.
• Sexual dysfunction.
• Headaches.