What Happens During A Sleep Apnea Episode?

We’ve yet to look at what happens during a single apnea, or sleep apnea episode.  The process is fairly straightforward, but the way in which the brain attempts to combat these attacks is fascinating.

Sleep apnea fundamentally interrupts regular breathing patterns during sleep, thus creating breathing irregularities which can lead to the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen, within the blood stream, becoming unsettled.  This forces the brain to regenerate the breathing process from scratch, causing you to wake up, so as to increase the size of the breathing passageway by utilising both the muscles of the throat and tongue.

Once this occurs, carbon dioxide can escape, allowing oxygen into the airway.  These episodes, when you are forced awake, not only save your life, but restart the breathing process to provide some form of temporary relief.  The single downside to this is that it is often associated with severe daytime fatigue, due to the ongoing sleep interruptions.

You may not even remember waking up, since several sleep apneas can be experienced during any one night, yet the brain is so sophisticated that it can sense danger and force you to wake up from your sleep to allow your body’s breathing system to reset and temporarily provide both choking and snoring relief.  However, it should be noted, that this is only an impulsive and temporary natural remedy, and further treatment should be investigated to provide a long-term solution.