Obstructive sleep apnea is a typical medical condition that affects many people. It is a potentially severe sleep condition which causes you to stop and start breathing while sleeping repeatedly. These pauses can last from some seconds to minutes and decrease the amount of oxygen you receive in your body. Eventually, this can have harmful outcomes to your body and overall health.
Although there are many types of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. Caused by several reasons; however, obesity is a significant risk factor. During sleep, the muscles in your throat relax and cause our airways to collapse. It leads to the pauses when breathing. Obesity also adds to obstructive sleep apnea by adding extra weight to the neck. It sums pressure to the airway and can worsen the collapse of the airways.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic disease that can cause other serious medical problems. Because of this, it is essential to know how to identify sleep apnea side effects and when to seek medical advice.
Loud Snoring Could Be Dangerous
Many reasons cause snoring. However, extremely loud and constant snoring can be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. When our airways narrow in the body, this causes the air to vibrate the soft tissues of the neck as air flows in. This turbulent airflow passes through a closed airway and the vibration of the muscles, lead to snoring. In a person with OSA, the airways are reduced, and this drives to the snoring that may be keeping your significant other deprived of sleep at night. The snoring is also frequently worse when sleeping on your back, which causes increased pressure on the neck. If this is what is happening, there are plenty of snoring aids available, and it is essential to consult your doctor.
Pauses In Snoring and Gasping For Air
Not only is snoring a universal sign of obstructive sleep apnea but pauses in snoring accompanied by a loud gasp is also a serious symptom. These seconds of silence may be a point where your airway collapses from the obstructive sleep apnea, and you stop breathing. This makes your oxygen levels to go down and lowers the oxygen, a vital nutrient, in the body. The reduced level of oxygen and pauses in breathing tells your brain you need more air. The need for air then triggers your body to take a deep breath or gasps and wake you up.
Daytime sleepiness
Exhaustion and feeling too tired throughout the day can be a sign of different things. There are many triggers, such as insomnia, stress, depression, caffeine, medication and other causes. One possible reason is obstructive sleep apnea. People who experience obstructive sleep apnea are unable to get a satisfactory, restful night’s sleep. The pauses in breathing and gasping for air forces the body to wake up and prevent REM sleep, the most in-depth rest needed for a restful sleep.
Inability to concentrate and focus
To efficiently focus, it is essential to get a decent sleep at night. While asleep, the body is constantly working to release specific hormones and store memories. Without deep sleep, the mind cannot save memories as efficiently, and the constant drowsiness can make it hard to concentrate and focus on specific tasks during the day. The change and lack of hormones discharged at night can also cause mood swings and overall irritability.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure is also a frequent problem among adults and elderly patients. It can be caused and worsened by some reasons. It is critical to treat high blood pressure or the underlying cause of high blood pressure to lower your risk of coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Obstructive sleep apnea creates pauses in breathing, which eventually causes a reduction in the oxygen in your blood. Oxygen is a vital nutrient necessary to every organ in your body. When your body senses a lowered oxygen level, the blood vessels react by getting tinier. It causes blood pressure to rise, and without a treatment plan of the obstructive sleep apnea, blood pressure will remain high.
Dry mouth and sore throat
Obstructive sleep apnea causes people to breathe through their mouths while they sleep. Usually, we breathe through our nose, which helps explicitly humidify the air we breathe. Contrary to this, when we breathe using our mouths at night with obstructive sleep apnea, the air remains dry, and this dehydrates the mucus in the mouth and throat. Leading to a dry mouth and sore throat when you wake up.
Watch a video about the symptoms you may experience if you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea