Sleep Apnea
More than a third of Americans report trouble getting enough rest at night, a number that reflects any number of potential, ongoing issues. For some people, the causes are elusive, with anything from general diet to stress being named as culprits.
Obstructive sleep apnea affects around 39 million people in the US. This ubiquitous problem affects more than just sleep patterns, which is why it’s so important to find an expert who can identify both the causes and the treatment plan for you.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
If you’re experiencing sleep apnea in Las Vegas, you’re experiencing air disruption while at rest. This occurs when the muscles in your throat, mouth, and nose relax and narrow, which blocks the standard air pathway.
Is Sleep Apnea Serious?
The symptoms of sleep apnea can run the gamut between mildly annoying and deadly. Some people may snore a little at night, perhaps enough to irritate a partner but not enough to wake the sleeper up. In other cases, airflow can become so disrupted that it severely impacts the sleeper’s physical safety.
What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?
The most common symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, tiredness, moodiness, and sudden disruptions to your sleep. If a partner has told you that they’ve heard your breathing pause while you’re at rest or you find yourself constantly getting up at night for no discernible reason, this could be a sign of sleep apnea.
What Happens to Your Body When You Have Sleep Apnea?
There are two main types of sleep apnea. The most common is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), where your muscles simply relax and narrow. The other is Central Sleep Apnea (CSA), which originates in the brain. With CSA, there’s an interruption in the brain signals that tell you to breathe while you’re asleep.
Usually, people only have CSA if they’ve suffered a problem with their brain stem, like a stroke. There is a very small fraction of people who have both conditions, though again, this is rare. A specialist can tell you more about where your apnea stems from and how it’s progressed over time, so it’s easier to identify the treatment you need.
Can I Prevent Sleep Apnea?
It depends on who you are. For some people, apnea is inherited or stems from a brain disorder, leaving you with little recourse. However, there are a few lifestyle links that can lead to OSA, including obesity and smoking. If you’re obese, the tissues in your neck are larger, which makes them more likely to come together to block the airway. If you smoke, the tendons and tissues can become inflamed.
Do You Need Treatment for Sleep Apnea?
Ideally, everyone with sleep apnea should be treated for it. This is because minor symptoms don’t always stay minor. The longer you have apnea, the more likely you’ll experience anything from a rise in blood pressure to insomnia to heart disease. When sleep is so important to your mental and physical health, it’s important to prioritize and improve its quality whenever possible.
How Does a Specialist in Las Vegas Treat Sleep Apnea?
A wide range of treatments and solutions are available for sleep apnea, and an expert will usually start with lifestyle changes. This may mean exercising more, cutting down on smoking, or eating a healthier diet. From there, they’ll look to devices like retainers and mouth guards to help you keep the tissues open while asleep. There’s also sleep medicine that may be able to help you treat or manage apnea, depending on the cause and severity.
There are more involved ways to treat apnea, such as CPAP machines that will continually deliver air to you while you’re asleep. However, these are generally the last resort, as the treatment regime can be more difficult to follow.
If you’re looking for an expert who can help you get the diagnosis and treatment plan you need, without subjecting you to unnecessary or invasive tests or procedures, contact Snore Vegas to learn more about our services and treatments.
