What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a severe and most common sleeping disorder which affects more than 4% of men and 2% of women worldwide. OSA causes breathing problems during sleeping and hence may lead to disturbed sleep. OSA does not affect your breathing but may also lead to the disturbance in the rest of your partner too.
The most noticeable feature for the recognizing this disease is the problem of snoring. It is one of the curable issues which need to have your particular attention. It is a severe medical condition which may lead to a life-long problem if not treated properly. In chronic cases, it may also affect your health condition ultimately leading to the quality of life you are spending.
You can quickly get rid of the problem by keeping your nasal passage open during sleeping, or you may also go with some other option of using obstructive sleep apnea mask which helps you in preventing the problem of snoring during deep sleep. If it remains untreated; it may lead to hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, and accidents during working and various other conditions.
What are the signs and symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
The main reason of OSA is due to the partial or complete blockage of your trachea during sleeping. This blocked passage may lead to the restricted supply of oxygen to the brain and other vital tissues which may lead to disturbed sleep, loud gasping, choking or snoring sounds. They may experience symptoms through which you can quickly recognize that someone is suffering the problem of Obstructive Sleep Apnea are: –
- Disruptive and regular loud snoring is the first symptom through which you can quickly identify the problem of OSA.
- Disruptive breathing which may also lead to the problem of chocking, gasping is one of the symptoms of OSA.
- Extreme dizziness and excessive daytime sleepiness due to the disruptive sleep at night also represents the problem of OSA.
- Usual and random morning headaches due to the insufficient supply of oxygen to the bran are the symptoms of OSA.
- Depression and irritability are some other problems that may arise due to the lack of the regular and quality sleep.
- High blood pressure and nighttime sweatiness are other symptoms of OSA.
What are the leading causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
The problem of OSA usually arises due to the relaxation of your back muscles of your throat which may lead to the narrower of your trachea and hence results in the insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain. Here, we have mentioned you few of the major causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
- Weight: Weight of the human body according to its height decides their fitness. The rise in pressure may lead to various severe problems like heart diseases, diabetes, and OSA.
- Age: Age is another factor which may lead to the problem of OSA. It is all due to the reason of loosening of muscles of the throat. With the loosening of these muscles, the airways seem to collapse during sleeping and hence may result in the problem of OSA.
- Smoking: Smoking is another major factor which may lead to OSA by creating irritation in lungs, throat, and esophagus.
- Natural Causes: Sometimes the problem of OSA may be due to the family history of the person.
- Enlarged tonsils: Untreated and enlarged tonsils may also block your airways and hence leads to OSA.
What are the complications that may arise for Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
OSA is a serious problem which may sometimes lead to some fatal diseases also. Some of the significant complications arise due to OSA are: –
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Brain tumor or brain strokes
- Serious eye problems
Is there any treatment for OSA?
Yes proper and regular treatment of OSA may lead you to get a permanent solution for the problem. You should contact a well-qualified doctor for seeking its permanent solution. One of the primary treatments for OSA are
- Treating the actual issues related to OSA
- Continuous Positive Airways Pressure
- Bilevel Positive Airways Pressure
- Adaptive Servo-Ventilation
- Medications
OSA is one of the serious problems which have now become more common nowadays. It may sometimes lead to a disaster if it remains untreated. You can go for using Obstructive Sleep Apnea Mask or go for other treatment as soon as possible.