Sleep Apnea Essay - 534 Words

Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder where a person has experiences of not breathing during sleep. Over 20 million Americans, mostly overweight men, suffer from sleep apnea. Despite these numbers, sleep apnea is often not treated directly because its symptoms are thought to be those of depression, stress, or just loud snoring. There may be a genetic component to this disorder as it often occurs within families.People with sleep apnea stop breathing for at least 10 seconds at a time; these short stops in breathing can happen up to 400 times every night. The Greek word quot;apneaquot; literally means quot;without breathquot;. There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed.Obstructive sleep apnea is the most†¦show more content†¦This quot;gasp for airquot; is literally a life saver when the mouth and throat muscles tense up to allow air back into the body. Most sleepers are unaware of this occurrence, although it often shakes their bed partners, roommates, and even neighbors to the core. Another sign is when a person falls asleep at inappropriate times like work, driving, sitting in a chair, or in front of a television.It can also be a sign of sleep apnea if a person frequently has morning headaches, memory difficulties, low energy levels, agitation, shortness of breath, or leg swelling. These are the main symptoms seen when someone could possibly have sleep apnea. In serious cases, the continuous oxygen deprivation caused by sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, or even sudden death.Here are some steps that help many people with sleep apnea to sleep better:Stop use of all alcohol or sleep medicines.If you are overweight, lose weight.Sleep on your side instead of your back. Sometimes, sewing a tennis ball into the back of a night-shirt can prevent this from occurring.If you still have problems, you can wear a special mask over your nose and mouth while you are sleeping. The mask will keep your airway open by adding pressure to the air you breathe. The mask helps most people with sleep apnea. In very few cases, surgery is necessary to remove tonsils or extra tissue in the throat. Whatever the treatment, remember thatShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Sleep Apnea1142 Words   |  5 PagesSleep Apnea is a chronic sleep disorder causing shallow, infrequent or pauses in breathing. According to the National Sleep Foundat ion, sleep apnea affects more than 18 million Americans and is as common as type two diabetes. Common in both children and adults, there are three main types of sleep apnea. The first is central apnea, followed by the most common form, obstructive apnea and finally the combination of both, mixed/ complex apnea. Although these three types of apnea have differing symptomsRead MoreSummary On Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea717 Words   |  3 PagesSymptoms of Sleep Apnea By Stuart Bazga | Submitted On July 15, 2011 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Stuart Bazga Sleeping is vital to the well-being of a person. With enough sleep we have aRead MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea ( Osa )1199 Words   |  5 Pages INTRODUCTION Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a primary sleep disorder caused by repeated partial or complete upper airway collapse despite an ongoing effort to breathe during sleep. It is estimated that 22 millions of Americans suffer from OSA; 80% of men and 93% of women with moderate to severe OSA have not been diagnosed. There is a higher prevalence of moderate to severe OSA in the elderly (aged 65 or older) than in other age groups.[1] In patients with OSA, there are high rates of depressionRead MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea620 Words   |  3 Pages Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is when someone is experiencing episodes of cessation of breaths during sleep because of their upper airway relaxing and obstructing air flow during sleep. The episodes usually last for ten seconds or greater and is usually accompanied with a decreased oxygen saturation. Although the airway is relaxed and obstructing airflow, the body (brain) is still attempting to breathe. When breathing has resumed from its apneic state, there is usually a loud gasping snore and orRead MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea ( Osa ) Essay938 Words   |  4 PagesObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major health problem, as more than 22 million adults in the U.S suffer from OSA.1 The prevalence of moderate to severe OSA in older adults aged 65 and over is twice as high as that in middle-aged adults.2 Unfortunately, estimates suggest that 85% of individuals with moderate to severe OSA remain undiagnosed.3 Individuals with untreated moderate to severe OSA are at a greater risk for dep ression (DEP), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia compared to individualsRead MoreEssay on sleep apnea2462 Words   |  10 Pages Sleep Apnea Human Physiology – Biology 60 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The dictionary defines sleep as â€Å"The natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored† (Webster’s 638) If one is waking up on an average of 300 times per night, the chances of complete body restoration are minimal. The Greek word apnea literally means â€Å"without breath†. An estimated 30 million Americans stop breathing during their sleep sometimesRead MoreSleep Apnea Essay examples1538 Words   |  7 Pages Sleep Apnea nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Sleep is essential to life; it is one of several components, including food and water, which keep the living alive. However, a significant percentage of the human population has considerable difficulty reaching and maintaining Stage IV within their sleeping patterns, the stage that allows the mind and body to fall into a deep and restorative sleep, otherwise known as REM sleep. At the core of this difficulty is a condition known as obstructive sleep apneaRead MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea ( Osa )2044 Words   |  9 PagesAlthough obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to be a common form of sleep-disordered breathing and increase the overall risk of mortality by one and a half times in serious cases, many patients with OSA remain undiagnosed and unrecognized by healthcare professionals (Stuart et al, 2013). Depending on the source, up to approximately 10% of women and 25% of men have OSA, while the overall prevalence of OSA in the general population is between 3% and 7%. OSA is more common in individuals who areRead MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea Essay1067 Words   |  5 Pageslife-threatening sleep disorder or not, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Sleep disturbance has the potential to stop breathing or make your breathing becomes shallow. Loud snoring is the most common symptom of obstructive sleep apnea that occurs in many people with this condition. Some people do not realize that they snore because they rarely awakened by the sound of snoring itself. Sleep disorders occur in patients who have limited supply of oxygen into the body when they sleep. Some reasonsRead MoreCorrelation Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea787 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction This study investigated the positive correlation between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with an increased rate of postoperative complications including (1) postoperative hypoxemia, (2) intensive care unit (ICU) transfers, and (3) prolonged length of hospital stay in noncardiac surgical patients. OSA patients commonly express cardiac disease, have an increased risk for postoperative morbidity, and OSA is considered an independent risk factor for patient mortality. This study is significant