Detect if you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Edited by Jonathan, Eng, Maria, Rob
Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA is one of the most common sleep disorders today, afflicting millions. Males, when diagnosed with this ailment, are in denial mode, because they would say that snoring (a symptom) excessively is part of the character of men when they sleep. OSA is not life threatening when taken seriously.
OSA, as defined by the Mayo Clinic staff, is a sleep disorder which manifests as repeated starting and stopping of breathing during sleep. It is usually associated with middle-aged or overweight people, but there are already several cases of children, teens and young adults who are diagnosed with OSA.
There are ways to observe if you or a loved one is potentially an OSA patient (We Hope NOT)
- 1During your day, there are several times when you just feel sleepy.Advertisement
- 2In the middle of a conversation, you just doze off.Advertisement
- 3While driving your car, you suddenly swerved because you suddenly closed your eyes.
- 4When it is bedtime, you can be able to sleep right away, most of the time.
- 5You are often awakened by your spouse in the middle of the night because you suddenly stopped breathing.
- 6You feel so tired or fatigued the following day even if you have slept the whole night before.
- 7Shooting up of blood pressure.
- 8Persistent headaches.
- 9Mouth is dry or throat is sore upon awakening.
- 10Restlessness during sleep.
- 11Irritability, forgetfulness, depression, trouble in concentration.
- 12Inability to perform in sex.
Some major risks involved if OSA diagnosis is not heeded
- 1Heart attack.
- 3Die in your sleep.Advertisement
TIPS, TRICKS AND WARNINGS
- If you believe you have OSA, consult a sleep disorder doctor.
- Most probably, the said doctor will commit you or schedule you for an overnight stay at a SLEEP LABORATORY.
- Stay away from smoking and liquor. These will aggravate your OSA.
- If you have the choice, alter your lifestyle wherein you can sleep early in the night and rise early in the morning.
- If you have been diagnosed with OSA after the sleep laboratory session, get yourself a decent CPAP machine. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. According to an entry in Wikipedia, a CPAP machine is designed to deliver a constant flow or pressure to the patient, so that he could have a sound sleep. If he does not use his CPAP machine, his rest will not be very healthy and he will still feel tired the next day.
- Some patients, especially if they are overweight, and they do not want to use the CPAP machine, opt to undergo an operation, to change the structure of the nose, mouth or throat.
- An alternative to the CPAP machine is a device which thrusts the jaw forward, to minimize snoring.
- Reduce weight. Exercise or do an activity applicable to your age or state of health.
OSA is preventable if there is a corresponding healthy change in lifestyle and also if the OSA patient heeds the instructions of his physician.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please post in the comments section below.
Categories : Health & Wellness
Recent edits by: Maria, Eng, Jonathan