Sleep apnea is commonly thought of as a sleep disorder where breathing issues interrupt your quality of sleep, however, untreated sleep apnea symptoms have many risks and can lead to chronic issues and severe consequences. Sleep apnea is a medical condition that presents its own set of health risks. Luckily, there are many ways to fix sleep apnea.
What are the Signs of Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts while you sleep. This can be caused by an obstruction such as your tongue or throat muscles relaxing that blocks your breathing or when your brain doesn’t send the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Either way, the risks of sleep apnea can cause serious complications with your health.
One of the perils with sleep apnea is that you might not even notice that there is an issue with your breathing because you sleep through it. For this reason, there are many symptoms that you need to be on the lookout for to determine if you have sleep apnea and to avoid unforeseen risks.
Some of the most common signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring, dry mouth, having a headache in the morning, insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability, and trouble staying alert during the day. Someone else may notice your snoring or if you are not breathing when sleeping.
How is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed and Treated?
Sleep apnea will typically be diagnosed by a medical professional. They will likely start by asking you questions about your symptoms. If your doctor thinks you may have sleep apnea, you may undergo some tests that measure your heart, lung, and brain activity while you sleep and also measure your leg movements and blood oxygen level. These tests can help determine if and how sleep apnea impacts you.
There are many ways that sleep apnea problems are treated. The most common treatment is CPAP For Sleep Apnea. CPAP works with a mask that goes over your face connected by a hose to a machine that pumps a continues flow of air into the mask. This helps you breathe throughout the night and reduces the effects of sleep apnea.
Another treatment option is BiPAP for Sleep Apnea. BiPAP works in a similar manner to CPAP but instead of the same continuous pressure applied through the mask, BiPAP sends different pressures depending on if you are inhaling or exhaling. This can be a good option for people who have issues exhaling because less pressure is sent during this stage.
Additionally, there are other options such as oral appliances that either hold your tongue in place to prevent it from obstructing your airways or move your jaw forward. There are also options for positional sleep apnea which work to hold you in place on your side while you sleep to keep your airways open. One of these devices is called Zzoma and can be an effective option to treat the hidden hazards of sleep apnea.
What Can Happen If You Let Sleep Apnea Go Untreated?
Uncontrolled sleep apnea can present many threats and hazards to your health. Some of the most acute threats from sleep apnea include an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and potentially even a shortened life span. Oftentime, sleep apnea can be caused by obesity, and this combined with your sleeping issues can create a critical impact that leads to these potential dangers.
Sleep apnea can also lead to some other side effects that are less life threatening such as depression and anxiety due to the poor sleep quality you get with sleep apnea. All of the consequences are why it is so important to treat sleep apnea.
Contact an Experienced Doctor
If you think you may have sleep apnea, the team at Zzoma can help diagnose your issues and provide you with a range of treatment options including a sleep apnea device. Zzoma works with their patients to find treatment options that work and are affordable for them.
If you think you are experiencing the symptoms of sleep apnea, it is essential that you seek professional help to correctly diagnose and treat your sleep apnea. Contact an experienced doctor at Zzoma today to schedule an appointment.