Tired of getting up in the morning? Sleep Apnea could be a possibility

Americans live busy lives and often only get a few hours sleep each night. It is not unusual to see people yawn or cat-nap throughout the day. Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition that can cause excessive tiredness throughout the day.

Sleep apnea can be described as a breathing disorder that occurs in the night. Patients suffering from sleep apnea have trouble breathing during the night. They may stop breathing for as long as a minute, or even hundreds of times per night.

Obstructive sleep disorder is the most common type of sleep apnea. This is when the soft tissue at the back of your throat collapses and blocks your airway. Sleep apnea can be as common as diabetes. According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep apnea has been reported in more than 12 million Americans.

Although being overweight, male, and over 40 are risk factors, anyone can get sleep apnea. Most people don’t recognize sleep apnea and its symptoms. Many cases go undiagnosed, untreated, and can have serious consequences.

Untreated sleep apnea may lead to high blood pressure and other health problems such as impotency, headaches, memory problems, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, heart attack, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. You can check your Snore Score on the American Sleep Apnea’s Association’s website to determine if you have it. www.sleepapnea.org.

A doctor who suspects that a patient has sleep apnea will conduct a sleep study. Sleep study centers and sleep laboratories conduct complete sleep studies on patients. To determine if there is sleep apnea, a polysomnogram will measure the brain activity, eye movement, breathing, heart rate, oxygen levels, and brain activity of patients.

Several treatments can help sleep apnea patients. CPAP (or Continuously Positive Airway Pressure therapy) is the most commonly used treatment for Sleep Apnea. During sleep, the airway is continuously blown through, creating a splint to keep the throat open. Patients can also try different sleeping positions, or use oral appliances to address their symptoms.