Living With Sleep Apnea

This disorder is probably more common that many of us realize and this is because it often goes undiagnosed. Many of us do not even realize that we have problems breathing when we sleep so we do not seek help and therefore it goes untreated.

Sleep Apnea causes the sufferer to have pauses in their breathing whilst they are asleep. In more serious cases these can last for a few minutes however generally last just a few seconds. They are broken by a loud snort or chocking sound and can occur numerous times an hour.

It is not unusual for sufferers to have broken nights of sleep 3-4 times a week which can leave them feeling exhausted and unrested. Often if you have this condition you slip from deep sleep to light sleep very easily which means that you find it hard to wake up feeling properly refreshed and rested.

If you go down the route of being diagnosed with this condition then you will have to spend time at a sleep clinic being observed over a number of nights. It is not something that your normal doctor will have the means to diagnose you with.

In actual fact it is usually our partners that first notice our symptoms of Sleep Apnea. This is because the most common type is the obstructive sleep apnea. This causes your airway to become blocked during sleeping, when your try to breathe the air pauses past the blockage and causes the snoring sound we are all familiar with. It is usually this that is noted by our partners as although we remain asleep our loud snoring sounds keep them awake throughout the night.

Although this doesn’t sound like a serious condition to live with it can cause numerous problems for both us and our families.

For example if we have numerous nights where we are unable to sleep then this can cause us to become exhausted. After weeks of not being well rested our day to day live will start to suffer, we lose concentration easily, our reactions become slower and our work can be affected.

It is not only work and routines that can be affected. Sleep Apnea can have a negative effect on your relationship. If you share a bed with someone who has this condition then you can become frustrated at the snoring and the fact that you are being kept awake. Although you know that this is not their fault it is hard not to become angry at them. This means that when they are tired throughout the day they are likely to snap and take it out on you. This can cause a great strain on your partnership.

If you do suspect that you have a Sleep Apnea that it is important that you seek medical advice. There are effect treatments that can make living with Sleep Apnea easier and more manageable however if it is left untreated that it can lead to more serious medical conditions.