Obstructive sleep apnea is a dangerous disease that narrows down the soft tissues at the back of your throat while you are breathing.
Narrowing down of the tissue results in obstruction of the air passage into the lungs resulting in choking.
When you are asleep and apnea attacks occur, the brain quickly reacts to it by waking you up and forcing you to breathe as heavily as you can.
This leads on to distorted sleep and irritation in the patients' lifestyle.
Sometimes, while driving or walking in a busy street, the patient may be hit by frequent apnea attacks that may result in carelessness and eventual accidental death.
Hence, if you are suffering from apnea, it is recommended that you do not take it carelessly and read on the following apnea facts.
Common symptoms for obstructive sleep apnea include hypertension or systematic hypoxia experienced during nighttime and sleeping.
It is known that more than 56% of obstructive sleep apnea patients suffer from hypoxia almost every night.
Heartburns are also caused from systematic hypoxia.
The common effects of this symptom are the cropping up of cardio vascular diseases, reduced libido, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and myocardial infraction.
The presence of arrhythmia in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea is considered to be another symptom.
Apnea patients often display sinus arrhythmia leading to reduced heartbeats during apnea attacks and increased heartbeat during breathing.
This abnormality in breathing leads to grievous oxygen de-saturation.
Oxygen de-saturation further contributes to conduction faults and untimely ventricular contraction.
Other immediate effects of conduction defects are second degree heart block, ischemic stroke especially among the younger patients, increased atherogenesis, coagulation disorders, cerebral hemodynamic disorders and ventricular tachyarrhythmia.
Recent studies have portrayed that patients with epilepsy and neurological complications are also prone to apnea.
There are many treatments for obstructive sleep apnea.
The most important among them is the Provent Therapy or the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy.
The therapy involves attaching a certain breathing device with a mask worn during your sleep.
This breathing device helps in letting oxygen flow freely into your respiratory system in order to avoid any breathing limitations.
Another solution, though short term, to sleep apnea is to operate on your tonsils and remove them.
This clears down your nasal passage, making it easier for you to breathe during apnea attacks.
Making some behavioral changes can successfully combat obstructive sleep apnea.
Reducing or preferably eliminating your regular habit of consuming alcohol and other addictive oral components can keep your airway clear and unobstructed.
Improving your sleeping habits as well combats apnea.
Do not stay out or awake late at night so that your sleeping schedule is perturbed.
Also, exercise regularly as fat and buxom people have more chances of breathing blockage during apnea attacks.
Lastly, improve your sleeping posture by embracing a side facing sleeping style.
This prevents any unwanted pressure created upon your breathing system due to irregular sleeping postures.