Before diagnosing sleep apnea you must understand what it is.  Sleep apnea occurs when someone has completely stopped breathing for 10 seconds or more while they are sleeping.  Sometimes these apnea episodes completely wake a person, other times they just bring someone to a shallow level of sleep from a deep level.  This interrupted sleep may not be noticed by the person with the sleep apnea, instead it may alert your bed partner.  There are two types of sleep apnea: central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea.  Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain doesn’t send the signal to breathe to the breathing muscles.  This is more common in people with brain injuries or heart diseases.  Obstructive sleep apnea means the airway has actually been obstructed by your tongue going backwards or enlarged tonsils.  Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder.

If you have symptoms of sleep apnea your doctor may ask you to have a sleep apnea test done at a sleep disorder center.  This test would be done after a physical exam and medical history.  People who have sleep apnea in their family history are at a higher risk for sleep apnea themselves.  A sleep study (polysomnogram) is a multiple-component test that electronically transmits and records specific physical activities while you are sleeping.  In a polysomnogram an EEG is used to record brain wave activity, an EMG records such things as teeth grinding, an EOG to record eye movements which tells the sleep stage you are in, an EKG for your heart rate, a nasal airflow sensor to record airflow, and a snore microphone records your snoring activity.  All of these results are then read by a sleep specialist and given to your doctor to determine if you have sleep apnea.

If you have a mild case of obstructive sleep apnea you may be able to fix the problem by doing some behavioral changes.  These changes include changing your position while sleeping; sometimes apneas occur only in a certain position which is usually lying flat on your back.  Obesity is a contributive factor to obstructive sleep apnea.  Losing 10% of your body weight would improve your sleep apnea.  Some people with sleep apnea find this hard to do because the sleep loss leaves them too tired to exercise; in turn making them gain more weight which worsens the sleep apnea.  If the apnea is treated a different way it usually leads to people being able to lose weight since they won’t be as tired.

Learn more on obstructive sleep apnea and sleep apnea treatments at my site.

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Comment: Yes, it is important to be aware of the existence of sleep apnea. But as with many other real or fictious “diseases” and “disorders” the fear (and the fear-mongering of those who want to sell you fancy pills) is worse… Work with brainwave entrainment or do some other kind of regular meditation, get you life and your mind into balance, stop “drowning” and “strangling” yourself voluntarily (job, family, expectations, second job, new car, mortgage…the usual rat race…) – and most likely sleep apnea will not be a problem for you…

What makes it so hard to deal with is the fact that individuals will wake up partially when they can not breathe. Although individuals do not realize that they are waking up, their body triggers the mind to wake up and deal with the problem. They only wake up enough to readjust. Most individuals that suffer from sleep apnea will have no idea that they are doing so until someone who notices them struggling during the night.

Types Of Sleep Apnea

There are several types of sleep apnea.

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea is caused by a relaxation of the soft tissues that are located at the back of your throat. By relaxing, they can block the air passage. This is the most common individual type.
  
  
• Central sleep apnea is another condition in which there are irregularities in the brain’s signal to breathe.
  
  
• A combination of both conditions is a likely option as well.
  
  

How Do You Know You Have It?

If you don’t know that you are doing this at night, how do you know that you have anything wrong with you anyway? There are many symptoms of the condition that are good signs that you have a sleeping disorder that may be that of sleep apnea.

• Being tired throughout the day although you slept for most of the night. This is a common symptom as individuals that do suffer from the condition can not sleep soundly.
  
  
  
• Restless sleep which includes tossing and turning.
  
  
• Snoring. Individuals with sleep apnea will snore and it will likely be loud. It may be evident because of the small pause that follows the snoring and then there are gasps for air. Gasps may not be large, and they can seem like the individual is waking up slightly.
  
  
• Morning headaches, trouble concentrating, irritability, forgetfulness and problems with mood and behavior changes are signs of a lack of sleep.
  
  
• Depression and anxiety can also be evident.
  
  
• Another large factor in individuals that are sufferers of sleep apnea is that many are overweight.
  
  

Diagnosis: Sleep Apnea

In order for any doctor to diagnose you with sleep apnea, you will likely need to have a sleep study done. Here, you will spend the night in a hospital or other location being monitored as you sleep. Your sleep patterns will be recorded and analyzed. In some areas, you will be able to take the test home by using a recorded sleeping device. The test is called a polysomnography.

You may also be given a blood oxygen level while you are sleeping. This test is done by placing a small device on the finger and monitoring your condition while you sleep.

Treatments For Sleep Apnea

There are many ways in which sleep apnea can be treated. The treatment used will be determined by the severity of the condition, the patient’s health and the abilities of the individual.

• Avoidance of sedatives and muscle relaxants is necessary.
  
  
• Avoid alcohol and medications that will relax the muscles.
  
  
• Lose weight (most patients who face sleep apnea are overweight)
  
  
• Stop smoking.
  
  
• A breathing machine can be placed over the face and will force oxygen into the airways to keep them open while you sleep. This is known as a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).
  
  
• Finally, surgery can be preformed to remove tissue from the area of the throat that is blocking the flow of air.
  
  

For those individuals that do not seek help for their condition, there can be a wide range of problems that can happen. The condition can worsen and can lead to more serious diseases including heart failure, coronary heart disease, irregular heartbeats, and even heart attacks and increased blood pressure. Treatment for sleep apnea is necessary in order to prevent these problems from happening to you. If your spouse is a heavy sleeper and suffers from any of these conditions, consider having him or her tested for sleep apnea.

More information about sleep apnea symptoms can be found at http://www.sleepapneasymptoms.net.
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