A person with sleep apnea disorder stops breathing repeatedly while asleep at night.
This serious disease can affect adults, and in some cases children too.
Most people, who are overweight, have a family history of this disorder, are males with large size neck and tonsils and are above forty years of age are the likely candidates prone to apnea.
If this disorder is left untreated, it can lead to strokes, hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes and much more.
People having apnea are less productive in their workplace, are always at the risk of having accidents and this condition ensues because of lack of regular sleep pattern at night.
Understanding apnea is crucial as it is of many types and only then, the right treatment will fetch results from it.
In this disorder, a person will stop breathing completely for 5 to 10 seconds or more while asleep.
The quality of sleep is also shallow unlike deep sleep and in majority of apnea cases, it is not the victim but his partner who finds something amiss and sets the alert about this disorder.
In obstructive sleep apnea, it is the backward going tongue or enlarged tonsils that play foul.
In the other type, that is central apnea, the brain fails to send signals to breath to the respective muscles.
Central apnea is commonly seen in those who have high blood pressure, heart diseases or suffer from any brain injuries.
People with a family history of sleep apnea are in the highest order of risk to this disease.
A polysomnogram or a sleep test conducted by a sleep specialist will help to diagnose this disorder along with a physical examination and medical history of the person.
If it is a mild case of sleep apnea, certain lifestyle changes are enough to overcome it.
These changes can be like changing sleeping postures, losing body weight etc.
If left untreated, this condition can lead to more difficult to treat diseases.