Do you often wake up feeling exhausted even after a full night’s sleep? Do you hear complaints from your family or roommates about your loud, disturbing snores? Do you wake up with a dry mouth or a morning headache?
If so, you might have sleep apnea, a severe sleep disorder. It requires medical attention to prevent it from resulting in severe complications in the body, including heart issues, due to the intermittent lack of oxygen you’re getting.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is when your breathing is repeatedly disrupted while you sleep. If it is not treated, it may lead to more complications such as the following:
- Fatigue during the day
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Hypertension
- Metabolic syndrome
- Liver issues
This disorder has three types: obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and complex sleep apnea syndrome. The causes and risk factors of these differ from each other. But regardless of what type you have, you need to consult with a skilled doctor to alleviate its effects.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea happens when the muscles at the back of your throat relax. This relaxation closes or narrows your airways as you breathe in, resulting in a lack of oxygen in your blood.
Your brain automatically senses this lack of oxygen, briefly waking you up to reopen your airways. This prevents you from reaching the deep, restful sleep phases your brain needs.
People of all ages can get sleep apnea, but there are certain risk factors that increase the chances of you getting this disorder – including the following:
- Excess weight
- Neck thickness
- Narrow airways
- Being male
- Family history
- Being older
- Alcohol, sedative, or tranquilizer use
- Smoking
- Nasal congestion
Central Sleep Apnea
Central sleep apnea happens when your brain forgets to send signals to your breathing muscles. You may not breathe for brief periods of time during your sleep.
With this type of sleep apnea, you may wake up with shortness of breath, you may have trouble falling asleep, and you may have difficulty staying asleep because you periodically wake up. This sleep disorder is directly affected by the central nervous system, which is why it is called central sleep apnea.
Risk factors include:
- Advanced age
- Being male
- Having had a stroke
- Narcotic pain medication use
- Heart problems
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome
Complex sleep apnea syndrome, or treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, happens when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. This type of sleep apnea is the least common among the three.
The common causes and risk factors for this are:
- Excessive weight
- Being male
- Being older
- Congestive heart failure
Sleep Doctors in Sherman, Texas
Sleep apnea is a severe health disorder that requires proper medical care, regardless of type. Carrus Health in Sherman, Texas, has a sleep center to help identify and treat the causes of your sleep disorder.
You may take a sleep test in the comfort of your own home or in our warm and inviting private rooms. We aim to identify the barriers that are preventing you from having a restful night’s sleep, and offer you treatment options for it.
To schedule a consultation with our caring medical team, contact us today by calling us at (903) 870-2600. We look forward to helping you have a good night’s sleep!
