Have you been told that you are a loud snorer? Do you suffer from daytime fatigue? If so, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. With sleep apnea, a person stops breathing hundreds of times throughout the night and may not be aware it’s even happening. As a result, it prevents people from enjoying a natural sleep rhythm. The soft tissue in the back of your throat, relaxes when you sleep, blocking the airway and results in loud snoring:

1. Central Sleep Apnea

This involves the central nervous system and is much less common. The brain does not signal to the muscles that control your breathing. This type of apnea results in someone seldom snoring.

2. Complex Sleep Apnea

This is a combination of central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea.

3. Major warning signs

Sleep apnea comes with some major warning signs, including feeling short of breath when waking up at night, loud and chronic snoring nearly every night, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, pauses in breathing, and gasping, choking, or snoring during sleep.

4. Other warning signs

Other warning signs that a person may have sleep apnea can include impotence, morning headaches, waking up with a sore throat or a dry mouth, nighttime awakenings or insomnia, frequent urination during the night, uncharacteristic moodiness, depression, or irritability, and forgetfulness and difficult time concentrating.

5. Treatment options

CPAP Machine

The CPAP machine (continuous positive airflow pressure) is a common way to treat sleep apnea. It is most often used for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. The device covers your nose and mouth and provides a constant stream of air. This helps to keep your breathing passages open during your sleep.

6. Other breathing devices

You might also try the EPAP (expiratory positive airway pressure). This device fits over your nostrils and assists in keeping the airway open, but it is smaller and less intrusive than the CPAP. The EPAP is designed to help people with mild to moderate sleep apnea. The BiPAP or BPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) device can be used for people unable to use the CPAP. It can also be used for central sleep apnea sufferers in need of assistance for a breathing pattern which is weak. The ASV (adaptive servo-ventilation) device is for central sleep apnea sufferers as well as for obstructive sleep apnea. The ASV stores information regarding your normal breathing pattern. It automatically uses airflow pressure which prevents pauses, during your sleep, in your breathing.

7. Other treatments

There are other treatments available, such as the increasingly popular oral appliance. These are quieter, more portable, and also more comfortable. Most are either an acrylic device that fits inside your mouth or another type that fits around your head and chin in order to adjust the position of your lower jaw. The mandibular advancement device and the tongue retaining device are two other common devices that open the airway. They both do this by bringing your lower jaw forward during sleep. A newer treatment is the insertion of a pacemaker system. This device stimulates muscles to keep airways open. This is for moderate to severe destructive sleep apnea although people with central sleep apnea can also benefit from the implant. If you have tried these different treatments with little success there is also the option of surgery. An operation can increase the size of the airway greatly reducing the episodes of sleep apnea.

People no longer need to suffer from sleep apnea. There is generally a solution for most people. Check with your family physician to learn more about your condition and options available to you.