Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, having difficulty in staying asleep, gasping for air during sleep time, difficulty in paying attention while awake, then you might have sleep apnea. Today we’d be discussing the causes of sleep apnea and the next time on the tip off segment, I’d take you through the treatment of sleep apnea.
Causes
There are different causes why an individual may wake up gasping for air, this includes
Obstructive sleep apnea: According to an article by MAYOCLINIC published on the 27th of July, 2021, This is the most common nighttime breathing disorder and this occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax and when the muscles relax, the airway closes as you breathe in. At this point, you can’t get enough air which can lower the oxygen level in your blood then your brain senses your inability to breathe and briefly rouses you from sleep so that you can reopen your airway. Each time that happens, you stop breathing for up to a minute or more, and it can happen hundreds of times per night impairing your ability to reach the deep, restful phases of sleep.
Central sleep apnea: This less common form of sleep apnea occurs when your brain fails to transmit signals to your breathing muscles. This means that you make no effort to breathe for a short period which leads you to waking up with shortness of breath or have a difficult time getting to sleep or staying asleep.
Anxiety: Anxiety can lead to panic attacks and when they occur at night, a person may wake up gasping for air. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, around 70 percent of people with anxiety disorders report difficulty sleeping. Some symptoms of anxiety include: restlessness, feelings of dread or worry, a fast heart rate, panic and difficulty concentrating which can obstruct the airways to close up when sleeping.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): COPD occurs when small air sacs in the lungs are damaged. These sacs called alveoli becomes floppy, making it difficult to push air out of the lungs. Symptoms can occur while a person is sleeping like they may wake up gasping or feel as if they are suffocating, coughing, having tightness in the chest, wheezing and lots more.
Loud snoring can indicate a potentially serious problem, but not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. Talk to your doctor if you have any of these causes or symptoms of sleep apnea mentioned. Also ask your doctor about any sleep problem that leaves you fatigued, sleepy and irritable.
