Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder associated with problems during sleep. It's a condition estimated to affect nearly 30 million people in the US. According to AASM research published in 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, most of these conditions go untreated since most victims are not even aware they are suffering as symptoms pronounce while asleep.

Common symptoms across all these types of sleep apnea are episodes of gasping for air due to hampered breathing. Apnea episodes. "Apnea" means a breathing process that lasts 10 seconds or more

The main types of sleeping sleep apnea are;

Obstructive Sleep Apnea. This is the most common among people. It comes about when thorax muscles relax too much and fail to support soft tissues in the back of your throat, the soft palate, the uvula, the tonsils, and the tongue. This forces these tissues to fall back into your throat partially or fully obstructing your airway. This causes your brain to force your body awake just enough to clear the airway, "gasping for air".

Central Sleep Apnea. This happens when your brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. "Central sleep apnea is caused by neurological reasons," explains dr Capasso. It's more prevalent among people with underlying conditions such as brain infections or other conditions affecting the brain stem ie Parkinson's disease or stroke. Certain drugs like opioids can also play a role in the prevalence of Central sleep apnea. Treatment of central sleep apnea involves treatment of underlying causes first. Treatment of your stroke may reduce symptoms of Central sleep apnea.

Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome. This is when a person has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. It's also known as treatment-emergent obstructive sleep apnea. In patients with central sleep apnea, the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea does not solve the problem and this indicates the presence of Central sleep apnea. A lot of research is still being done to understand this condition better.

In a research done at Mayo Clinic, 223 patients were reviewed for over one month as well as 20 patients diagnosed with central sleep apnea. They found that 15% had sleep apnea, 84% have obstructive sleep apnea, and 0.4% have head central sleep apnea.

Signs of both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea can overlap and at times it might be difficult to differentiate the conditions.

They include;

• Loud snoring.

• Gasping for air during sleep.

• Waking up with a dry mouth.

• Insomnia and difficulty falling asleep.

• Drowsiness and sleepiness during the day.

• Episodes in which the victim stops breathing during sleep mostly noticed by someone else.

Causes of sleep apnea

1OBESITY

It's one of the main causes of sleep apnea. Additional fatty tissue in people with more body weight will make the situation worse. According to research, rates of sleep apnea among people who are obese and seeking gastric bypass surgery were as high as 40%.

The higher the body mass index (BMI), the higher the likelihood of obstructive sleep apnea. The fat around the neck and the tongue physically makes the airway smaller. A 10% decrease in body weight can significantly improve sleep apnea for people with excess weight.

2AGE

The older you get the higher the risk of getting sleep apnea. People above 60 years or 70 years may be at higher risk of developing sleep apnea.

3GENDER

Men are more prone to sleep apnea than women, especially in the earlier stages of adulthood. Men are two or three times more likely to have sleep apnea than women.

4ANATOMY

Some facial types ie shape and size of your mouth play a role as it determines the size of your neck and also determine the tongue's resting place. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs in individuals with larger tongues or shorter lower jaws. People with thicker necks might have narrower airways. The presence of tonsils or adenoids, especially in children, can enlarge and block the airways.

5SLEEPING POSITION

Sleeping on your back increase the chances of muscles in the airways falling back and obstructing breathing due to gravity. Sleeping on your side is the better position. Special support pillow items can help change the position in which you sleep keeping you out of your back.

6FAMILY HISTORY

Individuals with close family members with sleep apnea are at a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea or any other sleep apnea. It may relate to anatomical features which are inherited from parents.

7ABUSE OF DRUGS AND USAGE OF SOME MEDICATION

Painkillers such as opioids have been known to increase the likelihood of developing sleep apnea. Work with your doctor so they can prescribe favorable medication. Smokers are three times more likely to develop sleep apnea than people who have never smoked. Smoking may increase the amount of inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway.

8MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Underlying medical conditions like Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and congestive heart failure are some conditions that may increase the likelihood of developing sleep apnea. Some lifestyle changes at home may ease the symptoms and reduce your likelihood of developing this condition. Regular exercises like yoga may come in handy to help with your sleep apnea condition. It's known to improve respiratory strength and encourage oxygen flow.

Yoga exercises may help you reduce the wake-up episodes at night. Sleep apnea is important to manage early. "If it's left uncontrolled for long, it increases the chances of heart attacks, strokes, or elevated blood pressure." According to John Hopkins hospital medicine. It also increases the risk of accidents and may ultimately shorten life expectancy. Patients are encouraged to adopt ways to reduce their likelihood and symptoms of sleep apnea like reducing their weights, adapting favorable sleeping positions, reducing alcohol consumption, and changing medication if they increase the symptoms.