Sleep apnea- What is it? Untreated sleep apnea,Types of sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.

You may have sleep apnea if you snore loudly and you feel tired even after a full night's sleep?
Sleep apnea occurs in two main types: obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax, and central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.

Additionally, some people have complex sleep apnea, which is a combination of both.
If you think you might have sleep apnea, see your doctor.
Treatment is necessary to avoid heart problems and other complications.

Clinically significant levels of sleep apnea are defined as five or more episodes per hour of any type of apnea.
There are three distinct forms of sleep apnea: central, obstructive, and complex constituting 0.4%, 84% and 15% of cases respectively.

Breathing is interrupted by the lack of respiratory effort in central sleep apnea; in obstructive sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort.
In complex (or "mixed") sleep apnea, there is a transition from central to obstructive features during the events themselves.


Sleep apnea symptom - Most common sleep apnea symptom is frequent silence during sleep...
Sleep apnea death - Sleep apnea death is closely linked with obesity, high blood pressure...
Stop sleep apnea without medicine - changes in lifestyle can stop sleep apnea...

Untreated sleep apnea can:

- Increase the risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes
- Increase the risk for or worsen heart failure
- Make irregular heartbeats more likely
- Increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents

Lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, surgery, and/or breathing devices can successfully treat sleep apnea in many people.

Types of sleep apnea:

1. Central sleep apnea (CSA),

2. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and

3. Mixed sleep apnea (both central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea).

During sleep, the brain instructs the muscles of breathing to take a breath.

-Central sleep apnea (CSA) occurs when the brain does not send the signal to the muscles to take a breath, and there is no muscular effort to take a breath.

-Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the brain sends the signal to the muscles and the muscles make an effort to take a breath, but they are unsuccessful because the airway becomes obstructed and prevents an adequate flow of air.

- Mixed sleep apnea, occurs when there is both central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea.

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external links
mayoclinic: Sleep apnea