An Overview of Sleep Apnea, Symptoms, and Treatment

What is Sleep Apnea?

In terms of experts, sleep apnea is considered going a whole night without sleep or sleeping very little for a few days. Experts often refer to sleep deprivation as a lack of sleep. When a person experiences sleep deprivation, it means he or she sleeps for a very short amount of time than their body needs to stay healthy or have low-quality sleep due to interruptions.

Sometimes people get confused between the terms sleep deprivation and insomnia. However, these both conditions are different. With sleep insufficiency, a person is physically able to sleep, but the circumstances around him or the schedule do not allow him to get sufficient sleep at night. On the other hand, insomnia means that a person has enough time and surroundings to sleep, but they struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or both.

What are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea causes many symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms are the following:

• Daytime sleepiness
• Fatigue
• Reduced alertness
• Slow reaction times
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Irritability
• Trouble thinking, remembering, and focusing
• Reduced sex drive
• Unplanned naps
• Poor judgement
• Reduced quality of life
• Reduced social activity

When a person is suffering from sleep insufficiency due to not having enough time for sleep, he tends to sleep more on weekends, days off of work, or days without any social plans. If a person does so it means he is not getting enough sleep on regular nights.

What are the Reasons Behind Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea  can happen due to a variety of reasons. Sometimes, this can be a result of poor habits such as irregular sleep schedules, daytime naps, use of digital devices before bed, and a noisy environment. All these factors can interfere with a person’s ability to get sleep through the night.

Sometimes, it also happens due to the use of substances at night such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, all these things deprive you of sleep. Along with this, some prescription medicines, illnesses, and sleep disorders can also cause a person to sleep for a short time at night.

How is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?

A doctor usually starts checking if a person has sleep deprivation by asking some questions about their history. The questions may be related to their work schedules, sleep and awake patterns and timings, sleep quality, daytime naps, and fatigue. They may also ask to maintain a sleep diary that includes a record of daily sleep patterns.

The doctor may also ask about other symptoms if you have to find out sleep disorders or other illnesses that are causing you to not sleep enough at night.

What are the Available Treatments for Sleep Apnea?

If you are looking for how to manage sleep apnea, the best way is to get enough sleep. The ideal amount of sleeping time varies from person to person. Still, ideally, every person should have at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Following are a few tips that can help you in the treatment of sleep apnea.

• Sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
• Follow a bedtime routine every night an hour before bed
• Avoid using digital devices at night
• Take daytime naps maximum of 30-45 minutes
• Engage in exercise daily for at least 20 minutes
• Practice sleep hygiene, and keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and other substances at night

If following these tips does not help, it’s time to consult a doctor or sleep expert to determine the cause of your sleep apnea and available treatment.