A sound sleep is as important as exercising to keep yourself healthy. Good sleep provides us with the energy to rise for a new day and achieve our goals. But for some of us, sleeping is not an easy task. You read it right; sleeping can be a tough task for people with Sleep Apnea.
 
What is Sleep Apnea exactly?
 
Sleep Apnea is a medical condition that causes a person's breathing to become restricted or stop while sleeping. Someone who suffers from such a condition can have almost a hundred instances where their breathing becomes restricted or stops completely. The average time for breathing issues is usually between ten to thirty seconds, but it might also be as long as a minute.
 
But if sleep apnea is ignored or left untreated, it may deprive your brain and body of adequate amounts of oxygen. This can cause new health complications or worsen existing ones. The sad news is 93% of the Indian population is sleep deprived. Out of this, 19.7% are at risk of sleep apnea. But only 2% consult a doctor regarding this.

Categories of Sleep Apnea
 
Sleep Apnea is a simple medical condition, but what causes it differs from person to person. For some, it might be caused by the throat muscles or by the brain signals. So what are these different categories of sleep apnea? Let us have a look:
 
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
 
Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA has been recognized as one of the major causes of mortality in developing countries like India. OSA usually occurs because of an issue in the throat muscles. In OSA, the muscles at the back of your throat become overly relaxed during sleep. Usually, all our muscles relax during sleep, and so do the throat muscles. But in the case of OSA, this relaxation goes overboard, causing the airflow to stop. This can repeatedly happen when one sleeps, preventing one from getting sound sleep.
 
Central Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is caused not just by the throat muscles. In some cases, it can also be caused by the brain. Central Sleep Apnea is caused when the brain cannot send proper signals for you to breathe. Breathing is an involuntary action, but its regulation and control are with the brain even then. When the brain cannot send breathing signals properly, breathing is difficult. It is not mechanical like OSA and is very rare. It is mostly seen in older men rather than women or younger people.
 
Complex Sleep Apnea
 
Sometimes also called mixed sleep apnea, Complex Sleep Apnea combines some aspects of the Obstructive and the Central Sleep Apnea. A person who suffers from Complex Sleep Apnea suffers from mechanical airway issues and brain misfires. The person's airway may jam up, similar to OSA. At the same time, the brain signals may also misfire, causing breathing issues to increase over time. It rarely occurs in a person naturally. Usually, it can be observed during the treatment of OSA. Though it occurs during treatment, it can be rectified.
 
What are the risk factors of Sleep Apnea?
 
Sleep Apnea is one of those medical conditions that occur mostly due to lifestyle issues rather than genes or other causes. A few common factors that put you at the risk of Sleep Apnea are:
 
Age: The chances of sleep apnea increase with age. A study found that the age group 51 - 59 is at the highest risk of sleep apnea. Our muscles weaken with time, and hence, the risk of sleep apnea increases with time.
 
Gender: Sleep Apnea is also more prevalent in males rather than females. But again, the gap between male and female patients decreases with time. After 50, men and women are equally likely to diagnose apnea.
 
Type 2 diabetes: According to a study, over 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes have OSA but are not diagnosed for it yet. OSA can also prevent patients from controlling their glucose levels.
 
Obesity: Being obese can also cause OSA. As one's weight increases, the shape of the airflow also changes due to weight. It is found that a 10 percent increase in weight causes the chance of sleep apnea by six times.
 
Smoking and alcoholism: Smoking causes inflamed throat muscles, whereas alcoholism can cause over-relaxation of all muscles, including the throat muscles. This increases the chances of contracting sleep apnea.
 
Apart from these factors, a few lifestyle habits like sleeping on your back or anatomical issues like a large tongue, enlarged tonsils can also cause sleep apnea.
 
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
 
Snoring is one of the biggest giveaways about sleep apnea. But it cannot be relied on as the sole indicator of sleep apnea. There are more other symptoms that might be indicative of sleep apnea.
 

 
If you experience any of these symptoms frequently, it is advisable to get in touch with your physicians.
 
Bottom Line
 
Sleep Apnea increases mortality rates and affects the quality of life you live. It might seem to interrupt you from being aware of your surroundings. As a result, you would gradually fall back on how things are pacing around you.
 
But when there is a will, there is a way. Sleep Apnea is treatable with proper instructions from your physicians. Usually, a physician will use the STOP-BANG tool for diagnosing sleep apnea. The STOP-BANG refers to:
 
Snoring history
Tired during the day
Observed apnea
Pressure
BMI
Age
Neck circumference
Gender
 

The doctor may then choose to observe your sleeping in a clinical setting and then decide if you have sleep apnea and how severe it is. The treatment for sleep apnea starts with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. It is a mask that you wear that sends pressurised air to ensure that your airway muscles are open all the time. After this, the subsequent treatment usually includes lifestyle and dietary changes.