Obstructive Sleep Apnea:
What is sleep Apnea and what are the most common signs?

Sleep apnoea literally means ‘without breath’ and is characterized by long pauses in breathing while sleeping. Sleep apnoea is very different to regular snoring—it’s also more of a medical concern. It can have several different causes, with one of the most major being the restriction of air while breathing as a result of weak muscles in and around the airway or upper throat.

The reason sleep apnoea is considered a more significant medical problem than ‘normal’ snoring is because the sufferer actually stops breathing for up to 10 seconds.

In fact, they skip many breaths throughout the night.

The problem of sleep apnoea can go undetected for years, too, because sufferers are completely unaware of the breaths they miss while sleeping – they can wake up in the morning and be completely oblivious to the fact that their breathing while asleep was restricted and irregular throughout the night. And that’s the reason it’s worth mentioning this condition at this point. If you suffer from sleep apnoea, you could face health problems in the future. But don’t get too alarmed.

Only 4-9 percent of middle-aged men and 2-4 percent of middle-aged women suffer from sleep apnoea.

And even then, the most common cause is obesity—which is almost always something that can be vastly improved, if not fixed altogether. Let’s take a moment to go over the common signs of sleep apnoea, so you can get a preliminary indication of whether you suffer from it, or whether you just tend to snore.

The most common signs of sleep apnoea are:

• Restless sleep and loud snoring, particularly with long silences between breaths, followed by gasps
  
  
• Frequent headaches during the day and difficulty concentrating

• Mood changes and alterations in behaviour

• A lowered sex drive

• Forgetfulness

• An increased heart rate

• Frequently getting up in the night to go to the bathroom

It’s usually best to first determine whether you tend to take a breath, then pause for several seconds or more, then gasp for another breath as you sleep.

Clearly, you won’t be able to notice this yourself.

You’ll need someone else to check for you, like your partner. Then consider the other symptoms of sleep apnoea, like feeling drained during the day. Having the ability to fall asleep at any time of the day easily and quickly could also be a sign of sleep apnoea, especially if you know you’re skipping breaths while you sleep.

If you think you suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea, you should go to your doctor and tell them your concerns. The techniques you’ll learn in a little while to help reduce how much you snore do work, but it’s essential you get checked out if you think you might suffer from sleep apnoea, as your doctor may want to pursue other treatments.

Now, let's look at snoring cures and the effects of snoring.