Thursday, May 17, 2018

Facts About Sleep Apnea Head Position

By Joshua Reynolds


Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which the patient has their breathing interrupted while they are sleeping. If the condition is not treated, the patient usually experiences repeated breath interruptions in a night. Sometimes, it has been found that the patient may stop breathing hundreds of times in a single night. As a result of this, the body, especially the brain fails to get enough oxygen to carry out its normal functions. Here are facts about sleep apnea head position.

Research has found two main types of this condition to exist. The two types are obstructive sleep apnea, abbreviated as (OSA) and central sleep apnea. OSA is the most common of these two types. This condition is caused when the airway in the patient is blocked. This occurs when soft tissues in the back side of a throat collapse when one is sleeping.

Central sleep apnea, on the other hand, is brought about by complications in the brain control centre. The appropriate signals sent by the brain to cause muscle contraction and relaxation for breathing to occur fail to be sent. This occurs when the part of the brain controlling breathing is unstable. This may occur due to a number of causes.

People are predisposed to potential risk factors which cause this complication. Anybody can be affected by the disorder in spite of their gender or age. An example of these is where there are many cases of children in the US experiencing the problem right now. The known risk factors for this condition include, being over 40 years, family history, having a big neck, GERD, nasal obstruction, and being overweight among others.

Research indicates that more men suffer from this condition as compared to women. Having too much weight, is also a very important risk factor. Correcting weight may help ease or eliminate the problem. In men, people with a neck size of 17 inches or more are at a higher risk of contracting this condition. On the contrary, people with a neck size of 16 inches or more are also at a higher risk.

This condition is not a good one since it is usually accompanied by several other serious ailments. It is responsible for eventual development of several conditions like stroke, diabetes, worsening ADHD, heart failure, headaches, high blood pressure, and depression. Left untreated for long, it causes academic underachievement among children and adolescents. Among adults, it is responsible for diminished or poor performance at workplace and home.

Several treatment options are available for this condition. For those who are experiencing moderate or severe forms of the condition, wearing a CPAP equipment may be recommendable. This equipment is worn when one is sleeping and helps to deliver air to the lungs at a slightly higher pressure than air in the atmosphere. The high pressure assists in keeping airways open, preventing snoring and apnea.

There are many other approaches for dealing with this condition. For instance, sleeping position and head positioning while one sleeps may help to keep the throat and airways open. Surgery is also a treatment option for those with severe forms of the disorder. Surgery may aim at removing tissue, repositioning jaws, or creating new airways.




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