Sleep apnea (orSleep apnoea) is aproblem certain people, typically obese middle aged men, have. When they sleep, they may stopbreathing for short periods of time. These periods can last for 10 seconds or more. 3-4 breaths aremissed. As a result of this happening during sleep, those affected are often tired during the day. Mainly because such people also tend to havemicrosleep, they should not drive vehicles. Sleep apnea is a treatable disease.
Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax too much to allow normal breathing. These muscles support structures including the back of the roof of the mouth (soft palate), the triangular piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate (uvula), thetonsils, and thetongue.
When the muscles relax, the airway narrows or closes when breathe in, hampering the breathing for 10 seconds or longer. This will lower the level ofoxygen in the blood and cause a buildup of carbon dioxide.
Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea are listed.
People can ask their partner or family member if they are breathing strangely when they are sleeping. Usually the patients partner or carer is the person who takes them to get checked. The doctor might test someone overnight in special monitored rooms the patient sleeps in, monitoring them with a camera and machines to watch their breathing and other signs, to check for episodes of sleep apnea.
Diseases which may complicate sleep apnea are: obesity,high blood pressure,hyperlipidaemia,arrhythmia,polyemia,ischemic heart disease,cerebrovascular disease,diabetes etc.
Sleep apnea is arisk factor ofarteriosclerotic disease.[2][3]
Where there are no observers, it may take time to discover this condition. When especially subjective symptoms are weak, the state will get worse gradually and it will start a serious problem.
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