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When there is severe obstruction of the airway causing complete entry of air stoppage leading to the gasping breath during sleep is called Sleep apnea. It is considered a serious sleeping disorder and is two types, Obstructive sleep apnea and Central sleep apnea.

This is of shorter duration, the patient wakes up instantaneously due to air blockage and takes a deep breath and sleeps again.

This is also called as Obstructive sleep apnea. When a person gets 30 apnoeic bouts for more than 10 seconds within 6 hours of sleep, then he is considered as a sleep apnea patient. This medical condition is common in men than women.

Causes of sleep apnea

The pathological causes include adenoids, nasal polyp and deviated nasal septum (DNS). Children also suffer from sleep apnea due to tonsillitis and adenoids. Children with Down Syndrome are more prone to obstructive sleep apnea. Obesity is also the prime cause for the sleep apnea, which is due to the deposition of fatty tissues in the neck and the inner airway canal.

Symptoms of sleep apnea

Signs and Symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, gasping of air when sleeping, waking up with dry mouth, and morning headache, excessive sleepiness during the day resulting in decreased work performance at work and in schools in cases of children. Children may also develop altered behavior, aggression and poor confidence, due to decreased concentration.

Effects of sleep apnea

Sleep apnea causes serious effects on the health due to the poor and disturbed sleep. Anger, Irritability, Depression is the symptoms of mental disorder. Cardiac symptoms are Hypertension and increased susceptibility to stroke. Many Road traffic accidents and industrial accidents are due to difficulty in focusing on driving or work from excessive sleepiness during the day.

Treatment for sleep apnea

Usually treatment depends on the cause and managing the episodes of apnea.

• Weight reduction for Obesity is advised by the ENT doctors.
• Surgery following the causation is involved. In children, Adeno-tonsillectomy is preferred. Surgery is also performed to give stiffness to the pharyngeal walls.
• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) a facial mask helps in emitting the stream of air for proper ventilation during sleep is administered. Though it is effective it is not tolerated by many of the patients.