The most common sleep disorder is sleep apnea. According to sleepapnea.org, “an estimated 50 to 70 million adults suffer from a sleep disorder while 22 million Americans are suffering from moderate to severe sleep apnea.” Keep reading more details to learn what sleep apnea is and discover reliable treatment options.
Sleep is a key element in our health and wellness. Many of us strive to get the recommended 8 hours of rest each night, but something seems to be making it impossible. Unfortunately, some of us just aren’t well-rested because of a sleep disorder. There are some people who aren’t even aware they’re suffering from a sleep disorder.
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What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that obstructs your breathing by causing it to start and stop during your sleep. The muscles in the back of the throat are over-relaxed and obstruct your breathing which is a condition called sleep apnea. As we learned earlier, sleep apnea can be moderate to severe and is diagnosed by a doctor. Sleep apnea can impact both children and adults, but oftentimes is a condition impacting adults. However, “obstructive sleep apnea” can cause suffer’s life-threatening consequences.
Before we take a look at obstructive sleep apnea, take a look at the short video clip below to discover how sleep apnea impacts the body.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by labored breathing for 10 seconds or more. Another common name for obstructive sleep apnea is snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is not always a result of an underlying medical condition. The following are common causes of obstructive sleep apnea:
- sleeping on your back
- increased weight
- alcohol/smoking
- older adults
Loud snoring may or may not be a sign someone is suffering from the disorder. If you have more questions about possible symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, you should talk to your doctor right away.
What Are My Treatment Options?
Treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea should be derived by a medical provider, but there are a few holistic alternatives available.
Most medical professionals will opt for positive airway pressure also known as PAP. A medical professional will oftentimes, require the patient to use a CPAP machine at night during their sleep. Therapy and surgery could also be an option when lifestyle modifications aren’t working. These lifestyle modifications are a holistic way to relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea.
For example, losing weight, changing your sleep position, and exercising are all-natural ways to treat obstructive sleep apnea.
Unfortunately, obstructive sleep apnea can have life-threatening consequences if left undiagnosed. Obstructive sleep apnea can result in heart palpitations, stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack and more.
Conclusion
Talk to your doctor as soon as possible if you think you’re suffering from obstructive sleep apnea which can also be a serious condition. With the proper medical diagnosis, you can treat the sleep disorder before the symptoms become life-threatening or result in a fatality.
