Do you ever wake up from a full night's sleep tired? Do people around you often complain about your loud snoring? It might come as a shock, but you might have a serious medical condition, sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous medical condition, which includes rapid starting and stopping of breathing. It happens during your sleep, so you might be unaware of the condition, but if you have the above-described conditions, you might be a victim of this sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition and, if left untreated for a long duration, it can lead to further complications like hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, and various heart disorders.

What Are The 3 Types Of Sleep Apnea? Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common, it is usually caused due to an obstruction of air passage through the throat by blockage of the airway due to the throat muscles. Though it is more common, it is as dangerous as the others are. Obstructive sleep apnea results in a decrease in oxygen saturation and might interfere with the heart rhythms. It causes a sudden shock to your body and might wake you up through a jerk. There are certain factors that are thought to be causative factors of this kind of sleep apnea: Excess Weight- Obesity is a leading cause of obstructive sleep apnea. Deposition of fat around air passageways can cause obstruction in breathing. Age- Sleep apnea is more common in older adults as compared to younger people. Family History- obstructive sleep apnea can be due to hereditary factors, too. You are more prone to sleep apnea if it runs in your family. Smoking- Smoking causes inflammation of the respiratory tract, and might be a factor leading to breathing obstruction. Male- Men are more likely to observe obstructive sleep apnea as compared to women. The ratio of sleep apnea is about three times higher in men. Nasal Congestion- If you have some issues with breathing due to nasal congestion or any anatomical issue with your nose, you are at greater risk of obstructive sleep apnea. Central Sleep Apnea (CSA): Central sleep apnea results from the brain's inability to send signals to the respiratory control center. There is no blockage of the airways here, but still, breathing stops due to the lack of signals. As it is a disorder originating in the central nervous system, thus it’s called central sleep apnea. A number of factors are associated with central sleep apnea, which are considered reasons for central sleep apnea: Narcotic Pain Medication- People who use pain meds, narcotics like opioids, usually long-acting, and prolonged use can lead to central sleep apnea. Stroke- Stroke might be a causative agent in central sleep apnea. Problems which arise due to stroke can lead to such conditions in your central nervous system, which can have an impact on your breathing regulation. Age- Older people are more likely to encounter central sleep apnea due to age-dependent central nervous system damage, which might lead to breathing regulation disorders. Medical Conditions- Medical conditions like Parkinson’s disease and other central nervous system disorders can lead to sleep apnea. Mixed Sleep Apnea: Mixed sleep apnea, as the name indicates, is a mixture of the first two types. Mixed sleep apnea is marked by a feature mixture of both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Mixed sleep apnea is generally not diagnosed directly, but when obstructive or central sleep apneas are not resolved with the prescribed procedures, it leads the doctors to believe and research the third type by contrasting the features of the first two types of sleep apnea in the patient. This leads to the diagnosis of this type of sleep apnea. A study on a test group of 223 people was conducted, which gave shocking results. About 15% of people involved in that study had mixed sleep apnea, 84% had obstructive sleep apnea, while only a small percentage of the group, around 0.4%, had central sleep apnea.

How Can You Stop Sleep Apnea? Depending on the extent and type of sleep apnea present, different approaches can be followed. Below are some of the treatments commonly used for treating sleep apnea. Conservative therapy is opted for in mild cases of sleep apnea. Overweight people can greatly benefit from losing weight which decreases the fat deposition that was leading to this condition. Obstructive sleep apnea patients are told to stop drinking and decrease the use of opioid pain meds. Patients who sleep on their backs are more likely to encounter obstructive sleep apnea, so they are prescribed wedge pillow use or other devices that might help them sleep without encountering issues in breathing. Nasal sprays are a good way to help people with sinuses and nasal congestion problems. Mechanical therapy like Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy (CPAP) might be a good choice in which a mask is worn by the patient for sleep apnea, and a mild air pressure is built up, which helps the patient get a good sleep without airway collapse and saving the patient from sleep apnea attacks. Always wearing a mask before sleep can be discomforting for people, and people using CPAP can still have problems with snoring. Consulting your doctor is the best option here to change the treatment plan. Surgery might help people who have problems with excessive mass or a broader neck region. These surgical treatments can help people who have problems with snoring. Different surgical approaches are used like tissue removal, tissue shrinkage, jaw repositioning, implants, nerve stimulation, or tracheostomy. Can Sleep Apnea Kill You? Sleep apnea itself is a brief obstruction in breathing and is highly unlikely to kill a person. Whenever a patient with sleep apnea encounters an attack, most of the time, the patient wakes up from sleep, and breathing normalizes, so there isn’t that much of a risk of a patient being killed by sleep apnea. However, as discussed above, sleep apnea can lead a patient to some serious medical complications, which can be a cause of death. The reason is that people who have sleep apnea have a higher risk of heart diseases, and due to oxygen deprivation, problems like a stroke can occur with time. These heart conditions and brain damage can prove fatal. If you face any of the above-described conditions, contact your doctor ASAP and describe all the problems you are facing because the sooner you consult your doctor, a better treatment can be done for your condition.