Sleep apnea is a medical condition which causes a person to stop breathing many times throughout the night. It can affect anyone, whether young or old. In this article, you will learn the different types of sleep apnea that you or a loved one may be suffering from.

Sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissue in the back of your throat falls over your airway when you lay down to sleep. Without oxygen moving into your lungs, you temporarily stop breathing. The brain recognizes this condition and tries to reverse it, so you wake with a start. Each time you wake up, the soft tissue moves and you can breathe again.

This actually describes the first type of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It is the most common type of sleep apnea. When the airway is obstructed, the body’s organs, including the brain, are deprived of precious oxygen. This can often lead to problems with different systems in the body.

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by obstructions in the back of the throat or in the roof of the mouth. In children, sleep apnea is often the result of enlarged tonsils and adenoids. This excessive tissue blocks the flow of air, and leads to snoring and constant wakefulness at night. Children’s behavior may change as a result of their lack of sleep: bed wetting, sleepiness during the day and poor performance in school.

Adults that suffer from obstructive sleep apnea have large floppy soft palates or large uvulas. This can be particularly true of people suffering from obesity. The extra tissue at the back of the throat actually flops down when the person sleeps, and covers the airway. If you have a small airway, this can cause sleep apnea symptoms as well.

The other type of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea (CSA). Central sleep apnea has to do with the central nervous system which includes the brain and the spinal cord. It is not as common as obstructive sleep apnea but it does occur.

The airway is not the problem here. Instead, a problem within the respiratory center of the brain causes a malfunction. As you sleep, the muscles responsible for respiration are not given the signal to move by the brain. As a result, your breathing stops.

Central sleep apnea usually occurs when there is a disease present that affects the brain or spinal cord in some way. Brain injuries, spinal surgery, and neurological disease are all possible reasons why a person might develop central sleep apnea. The symptoms of central sleep apnea are similar to those experiences with obstructive sleep apnea.

Mixed sleep apnea is not a different type of sleep apnea, but a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea. Proper diagnosis by your physician is important to determine the exact type of sleep apnea you suffer from, in order to get you the most effective treatment. There are many different options for OSA, for example, which will depend on your overall health and lifestyle./ Once the diagnosis is done through sleep studies at a sleep center, you can opt for treatment.

In our next article, we will discuss the different treatment possibilities for sleep apnea.

Who are most affected by sleep apnea? Men are more likely to suffer from it than women. People over the age of forty show an increased likelihood of having sleep apnea. This doesn’t mean that other age groups aren’t affected. Sleep apnea can occur in children and young adults as well.

Lack of proper rest such as that which occurs with sleep apnea affects all other areas of your life. The body doesn’t get enough time to restore itself, and that can lead to diseases and other conditions manifesting themselves in your body. For instance, it is not uncommon for sleep apnea patients to develop high blood pressure and symptoms of cardiovascular diseases.

The brain is also affected by poor sleep patterns. It becomes harder to remember even the smallest things, or to concentrate on detailed tasks or even perform routine functions at work. As a result, stress levels increase and tempers get shorter. Performance on the job and at home is impaired. Undiagnosed, sleep apnea symptoms worsen to the point where chronic fatigue and a host of other health problems can set it.

On the positive side, sleep apnea can be treated in a number of ways. But your first step is to find out of you have sleep apnea. Make an appointment with your doctor to be tested to see if sleep apnea is your primary issue causing whatever symptoms you have been experiencing. The doctor will take a detailed history of the symptoms you have been suffering.

If there is sufficient cause, you will be asked to participate in a sleep study. A sleep study is the primary diagnostic tool for sleep apnea. At a sleep center, you are placed in a room and hooked up to machines that monitor several aspects of your sleep pattern.

Sleep apnea is a serious but treatable condition. If you or someone you know has experienced sleep issues, see a doctor and get tested, so that you can soon be on your way to a more restful sleep and a more well-rested and active and efficient you.

Sleep apnea is a respiratory condition where a person stops breathing numerous times during sleep. It affects millions of people who haven’t been properly diagnosed. Read on to find out exactly what sleep apnea is all about so that you can tell if you or a loved one are suffering with it right now.

Sleep apnea is most noticeable at night or any time that you or a loved one lie down to go to sleep, due to the snoring sound.

What causes the snoring? The soft tissue at the back of the throat falls down over the opening to your airway so that air cannot pass. At this point you have stopped breathing. This process occurs as many as a hundred times a night, and can lead to oxygen deprivation, and thus to other health problems.

When breathing stops, you are jarred awake. You often reposition yourself and start sleeping again when breathing is restored. Sleep apnea sufferers often snore quite loudly, loud enough to keep another person awake, and loud enough to even awaken themselves! Snoring, although quite annoying to spouses and significant others, helps with continued breathing through the night, but make no mistake. It’s not JUST snoring. Sleep apnea can lead to serious health issues, so it is best to have it checked out through a sleep center.

Everyone that snores does not have sleep apnea, but it is a symptom of the condition. There are other symptoms of sleep apnea: obesity, age, dry and sore throat, insomnia and headaches.

If you are experiencing weight gain or find yourself having trouble getting motivated, and feel foggy a lot of the time. your sleep could be the problem, and sleep apnea more specifically.