Title: The Three Types of Sleep Apnea
1Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) occurs when your
airway temporarily collapses during sleep. You
continue to make efforts to breath but are unable
to move air in and out of your lungs because of
the obstruction at the back of your throat.
During the collapse, which can last from 10
seconds to over a minute, your breathing muscles
continue to work with a progressive effort until
you awaken and resume normal breathing. After a
few breaths, your oxygen levels return to normal.
You fall back to sleep and the airway obstruction
occurs again. This cycle may continue throughout
the night, disrupting your normal sleep pattern.
As a result, you may complain of un-refreshing
sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness.
2What Kinds of Sleep Apnea are There? There are
three types of sleep apnea, obstructive, central,
and complex. If you have obstructive sleep
apnea, it is caused by the muscles of the your
throat relaxing while sleep. When this occurs,
the muscles provide less support to the tonsils,
the uvula (the triangular piece of tissue that
hangs from your soft palate), and the side walls
of the throat. When these areas get less support,
it narrows your airway and you cant get an
adequate breath in. If you have central sleep
apnea, your brain is not sending the correct
signals to the muscles that control your
breathing. This causes you to have shallow
breathing or to stop breathing for intervals of
time. This type of apnea is more common after a
stroke, with heart disease, or with narcotic or
sedative use. Complex sleep apnea is a
combination of the obstructive and central forms.
3Risk Factors for Sleep Apnea
- Anyone can get sleep apnea including women, men,
and children. There are a number of things that
do increase your risk of sleep apnea such as - Age. Sleep apnea tends to be more common in
adults older than 60 - Excess weight. Thin people develop sleep apnea as
well but anyone who has excess fat around the
upper airway is at increased risk of having their
breathing obstructed - Neck thickness. Anyone who has a thicker neck
tends to have a narrower airway, making it easier
to become blocked - Narrowed Airway. If you have inherited a
naturally narrow throat or your tonsils or
adenoids are enlarged, this can block your airway - Smoking. Anyone who smokes is three times more
likely to have obstructive sleep apnea as smoking
can increase the inflammation and fluid retention
of your upper airway - Family history. Sleep apnea is often found in
families - Nasal congestion. If you suffer from allergies or
any anatomical nasal issue, you are more likely
to develop sleep apnea
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