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Sleep Apneas
Broadly defined, sleep apnea is a form of "sleep disorder" condition when you stop breathing or take very shallow breaths periodically while you are sleeping. Consequently, the blood oxygen level drops to such low levels that it creates a health hazard to your heart and brain.
People with sleep apnea are at a higher risk for developing heart disease or suffer from a heart attack. Sleep apnea results in your brain essentially waking you up to take a breath. This happens when the blood oxygen levels drop below a certain safe level. These periods when you are awakened to take a breath are very short. And the patient is not aware of these "micro awakening" episodes. So what is the significance then?
Sleep Apnea & How It Impacts Your Sleep
Our brain goes thru different stages of activity as we fall deep into sleep. There are periods defined as light sleep and there are periods defined as deep or restful sleep. Intermixed are periods of sleep called REM (for Rapid Eye Movement). This is the time when we dream. When we are in deep sleep our body releases chemicals (called Growth Hormone) that are necessary for overall repair and healing of the body. When you have sleep apnea, you never reach the deep sleep stage because you are constantly awakened to take a breath. Therefore, your body is never able to repair and heal itself. This is why when a sleep apnea patient wakes up even after a full night of sleep, they feel tired and run-down.
Sleep Apnea & How It Impacts Your Life
Sleep apnea has far reaching implications into one's life. Your brain doesn't function at its full capacity because it was never rested. Productivity at work suffers. You are tired, forgetful and easily irritable. You find yourself day-dreaming and blanking out for periods of time. You start dozing off while you remain inactive for short periods of time. Can you imagine what that would mean if you were say a train operator? How about the other drivers on the same road as you at the end of the day going home?
Sleep Apnea & Children
Children with sleep apnea are commonly misdiagnosed as having A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder). The complaint is that the child cannot focus for long, gets easily distracted, loses interest fast and cannot sit still. That might be because the child is mentally tired and worn out from not having had a restful sleep. Enlarged tonsils and poor dental development both impact the child's ability to breath comfortably. Considering early orthodontic therapy for the child with poor dental development isn't just to improve the kid's appearance. It is also for developing proper airway for the child to be able to breath comfortably.