Do you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome? Learn how to treat it here.

Q: What is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome?

Basically, people with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome get enough sleep. However, they still feel sleepy and exhausted during the day. The reason is obvious, because those affected simply don't get enough air while they sleep. Because they have trouble breathing while they sleep, they have more pauses in breathing. These pauses in breathing begin without warning. Those affected don't even notice the pauses in breathing during sleep. In the long term, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome can be the cause of other diseases.

Q: How is sleep apnea treated?

If you suspect obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, your doctor will first ask you about your symptoms and lifestyle habits. Your body will then be examined. It is not uncommon for patients to receive a portable device that is intended to monitor sleep. The device records data such as breathing, heart rate, oxygen saturation in the blood, snoring and body position. If there are any abnormalities, an examination in a sleep laboratory is often arranged. If the sleep apnea is caused, among other things, by being very overweight, the problems can be alleviated by losing weight. There are several treatments to combat sleep apnea. Whether devices that support breathing, positioning aids, aids such as lower jaw splints or operations, it has been scientifically proven that some of these treatment methods can be very helpful. Medication is not given for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

People who seem to be sleeping well at night but are still very tired the next day may be affected by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Those affected usually snore very loudly and have multiple pauses in breathing. Most people don't even notice these pauses in breathing.

However, these dropouts can significantly worsen the everyday life of those affected. What exactly is Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome? Can obstructive sleep apnea syndrome be seen in the long term an increased risk factor represent for other diseases?

And how can obstructive sleep apnea syndrome develop? We will answer these and many other questions in this article.

What is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome?

Basically, people with obstructive sleep apnea get enough sleep. However, they feel still sleepy and drained during the day. The reason is obvious, because those affected simply get too little air while sleeping.

Since they get bad breath during sleep, they have increased breathing pauses. These breathing pauses set in without warning. Those affected do not even notice the pauses in breathing during sleep.

In the long term, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome can be the cause of other diseases.

The typical symptoms of sleep apnea

There are several symptoms associated with a Sleep apnea appear. People with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome often snore very loudly. They also breathe very shallowly and have multiple pauses in breathing.

The Breathing pauses can sometimes last longer than 10 seconds. Snoring itself isn't particularly bad. If there are pauses in breathing in addition to snoring, this is referred to as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

The following symptoms indicate sleep apnea:

Those affected often suffer from difficulty concentrating
Strength tiredness during the day
Night sweats and frequent urination are very common
Sudden awakening with possible tachycardia and shortness of breath
Those affected complain of a dry mouth when they wake up
headache in the morning
Possible potency problems

What Are the Causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome?

How does obstructive sleep apnea syndrome develop? When the muscles in the upper airways relax, narrows the airway in the throat area. In some cases, the airway is even completely blocked.

The result: Loud snoring noises occur when you breathe in and out. When breathing is disturbed the body is no longer sufficiently supplied with oxygen. This lowers blood pressure and heart rate.

A small awakening stimulus is triggered by the respiratory center in the brain, so that the person concerned suddenly wakes up. However, this happens in the subconscious, so that the person concerned does not even notice anything about it. By the wake-up call the sleep cycle is interrupted.

The heart starts beating faster again and the blood pressure rises. If you wake up during the night because of sleep apnea, you may no longer get into the deep sleep phase. Because of this, you feel listless and tired the next day.

It is not uncommon for severe obesity and peculiarities in the mouth and throat to play a major role in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Those affected often suffer from enlarged tonsils, a small lower jaw, a small soft palate or an unusually positioned tongue. Sometimes it can happen that nasal breathing also disturbed at a hunt.

If those affected prefer to sleep on their backs, this can promote snoring and breathing disorders. An obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is also usually related to excessive alcohol consumption. But sleeping pills and sedatives to relax the respiratory muscles can also increase sleep apnea.

Most of those affected are already in their second half of life, because from the age of 45 the probability increases to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

The development of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Those who already have severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome feel tired and listless all the time. Even sleep brings little recovery. Due to the lack of sleep, those affected often fall into an emotional hole. People with sleep apnea feel less well and are therefore more likely to develop depression.

In addition, those affected have significantly higher blood pressure and more frequent Cardiovascular diseases. The risk of suffering a stroke, heart attack or cardiac arrhythmias is correspondingly increased. Breathing pauses do not always lead to health risks.

If the breathing pauses are infrequent, they don't cause daytime sleepiness. However, if the breathing pauses last longer, it may be useful to ask a doctor for advice.

How is sleep apnea treated?

Suspect obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, your doctor will first ask you about your symptoms and lifestyle. Subsequently done an examination of your body. It is not uncommon for patients to receive a portable device that is intended to monitor their sleep.

The device records data such as breathing, heart rate, oxygen saturation in the blood, snoring and body position. If there are any abnormalities, often prompts an examination in the sleep laboratory. If sleep apnea is caused by being overweight, among other things, the problems can be alleviated by losing weight.

There are several treatments to combat sleep apnea. Whether it's devices that support breathing, positioning aids, aids such as lower jaw splints or operations, it has been scientifically proven that some of these treatment methods can be very helpful. Drugs are not given for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Genio can help with the treatment

One way to actively treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is Genius. Genio is a battery-free, wireless, and single-incision implantable neurostimulator. By the Insertion of the implant the upper airway is kept open during sleep because the hypoglossal nerve is stimulated bilaterally.

The stimulation triggers a slight forward movement of the back of the tongue. This process helps that Keep airways open for normal breathing during sleep, once the connection with the external activation chip has been established.

Conclusion

If obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is not treated, it can severely affect the quality of life. It is not uncommon for people with sleep apnea to even fall into microsleep during the day. In addition, sleep apnea leads to impaired concentration and memory.

But not only tiredness and exhaustion can be triggered by sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome can also put a strain on the partnership. Decide on a suitable therapy so that your quality of life can increase significantly again.

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