May 8, 2008

Signs of Sleep Apnea

by Rudy Watkins

Sleep apnea is a serious sleeping disorder. During sleep apnea, individuals experience irregular breathing accompanied by unusual pause. Each cessation in breathing may last for 10 to 20 seconds and it may occur more than 30 times in an hour. Typically there are two types of sleep apnea " one is obstructive sleep apnea and the other one is central sleep apnea.

Breathing is either reduced or stopped if you have sleep apnea. Simply the most common sign of sleep apnea is when breathing stops for at least 10 seconds. In this write up we will examine some of the other sleep apnea signs.

Declining Oxygen Levels

The decline of oxygen levels during sleep apnea can result in at least a 4% drop of the oxygen saturation level in the blood. This is a direct result of the decline of the transfer rate of oxygen through the blood when breathing stops. This is one of the most serious signs.

Sleep Disturbance

Sleep can be severely interrupted. You may even wake up fully. You may wake from a deep sleep and still stay in a lighter sleep. This is a common sign and is why sleep apnea measured while sleeping.

Headaches and Dry Throats

These are the common signs of sleep apnea. When the individuals having sleep apnea wake up in the morning, they experience excessively dry throat. This causes a strong sense of discomfort and the individual experiences a persistent difficulty in breathing. Additionally, morning headache is another sign that makes the individual to feel more exhausted.

Drowsiness during the Day

Since people having sleep apnea experience an impaired sleeping pattern in which they are unable to reach deep, soothing sleep, they suffer from extreme fatigue and daytime sleepiness throughout the day. Their sleep is typically accompanied by loud snoring along with snorting sounds especially during late night.

Lack of Oxygen

The cardiovascular system can be threatened because of the drop of the oxygen level while sleeping. It is important that the cardiovascular system work at its peak in order to supply the tissues with the required amount of oxygen. Without this happening you could develop high blood pressure and even be at risk for heart attacks or strokes.

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