Symptoms Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Signs That You Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) refers to a condition in which a person's breathing is decreased or paused while sleeping. People with this condition have to wake up once in a while for them to resume normal breathing. This happens mainly when muscles relax, leading to the loss of muscle tone that causes the upper airway to disintegrate, thus reducing the person's breathing.
This condition affects people of all ages and can be termed as partial or complete obstruction. Affected people should seek treatment early to avoid major health risks like high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
What Are The Symptoms?
Some of the most common OSA symptoms are:
1. Headaches - Most patients say that they experience this at night or in the morning.
2. Fatigue - Patients do not have enough rest when they go to bed at night. This causes them to be excessively fatigued during the day.
3. Weight gain - Patients gain a lot of weight which they find difficult to explain.
4. Heartburn - Patients experience this during the wee hours of the night.
5. Mood swings - Patients usually feel moody most of the times. They may be happy one moment and sad the next moment. They are also easily irritated.
6. Snoring - Almost all OSA patients experience this. However, snoring does not necessarily mean you have the condition.
7. Some patients experience night-time spells of gasping for breath.
8. Patients sweat a lot while they sleep.
9. Patients become restless during sleep causing them to toss and turn.
10. Patients may stop breathing while sleeping.
11. Most patients get up at night to use the bathroom.
12. Some experience chest pains while sleeping.
13. Decreased sex drive.
14. Depression.
15. Increase in heart rate.
16. High blood pressure.
17. Memory loss.
18. Anxiety.
Children may experience some of the above symptoms; however, they are more pronounced in adults. In the cases of children, the following are symptoms to watch out for:
1. Poor academic performance in school.
2. They wake up several times during the night.
3. Most children wet their beds.
4. Strange sleeping positions.
5. They become inattentive or hyperactive.
6. Failure in gaining weight.
Treatment
Treatment of this condition is very possible. Treatment options available to patients are very many; hence, they should take advantage of this. Your doctor may advise you to use machines like CPAP, VPAP or BiPAP to help you reduce the dangers of this condition. You may also be advised to undergo surgery to get rid of soft tissue like tonsils.
Your doctor will examine you and, after the full diagnosis, you'll be advised on the best treatment option in regard to your personal case. The treatment option you'll be given is different from other patients with the same condition. This is because of the differences in sleep disorders and bodily conditions. Simply put, people are different.
It's essential to schedule an appointment with a doctor if you or your child experiences these symptoms. Starting treatment early helps reduce risks that come with the condition.
About the Author
At Benchmark Sleep Services we specifically deal with sleeping disorders. Christian Rabatsch at Benchmark Sleep Services, has diverse experience dealing with sleeping disorders for many years. To get more information simply visit our webpage at http://www.benchmarksleepservices.com.au/sleep-apnea/ .
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