Cure Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Treatments, and Solutions

Sleep disorders are some of the hardest to diagnose correctly. For one thing, the one experiencing the symptoms is not aware of them because they are asleep. Loved ones and friends may even be the first to know that something is wrong.

Know This Disorder

There are two types of sleep apnea: Central, caused by physical problems, and Obstructive, caused by neurological problems. The term apnea pertains to the gaps in breathing experienced by the sufferers. Patients with mild sleep apnea have breathing pauses 5 times an hour. Severe apnea can cause gaps exceeding 50 an hour.

Proper diagnosis of the disorder is essential for an effective sleep apnea cure. This is why it is crucial to approach a specialist. There are several sleep apnea symptoms. These can appear similar to other illnesses. When taken as a whole, they present a clear picture of the sleep disorder.

Do You Have It?

To get a better idea of the sleep disorder, its best to keep a sleep diary. This is a record of the sleepers’ experiences. Once they wake up, they are able to take note of how they feel. Sleep apnea symptoms center on feelings of lack of sleep one gets even when they seem to have slept for hours. This is because the quality of their sleep is very low.

To be able to get a better picture of the problem, a video or audio recorder can be used. This will help record pauses in breathing, snoring and any choking or gasping sounds.

Aside from those mentioned, some of the most common symptoms are:

Heartburn or chest pains during sleep Morning or night migraines Difficulty sleeping Frequent rising due to an urge to urinate Suddenly waking up in the middle of the night Tossing and turning during sleep

Once the sufferer has a proper record of their sleep, they can give this to their doctors to help with the diagnosis. Sleep specialists can then ask their patients to stay in the hospital overnight for a sleep study, also known as a Polysomnogram.

In this test, the patient is hooked to monitors that can record their physical and neurological activity while they are asleep. The data is checked by doctors to see how severe the sleep apnea is, what variant it is and the proper treatment to correct it.

There are several treatments available for sleep apnea sufferers. Mild ones can require simple weight loss while severe cases may need invasive surgery or correction of an underlying neurological cause.