Where is the term Sleep Apnea coming from. It is a Greek word that means “without breathe”, in sleep apnea this is exactly what happens when you are resting.  Finding out just what is sleep apnea can help a patient learn about the problem and if they are actually suffering from it.  In order to find cure for sleep apnea, you first have to identify the problem.

What Is Sleep Apnea And Sleep Apnea Causes

There are two types of sleep apnea-one is obstructive sleep apnea and the other is central sleep apnea.  The first, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common and occurs when the muscles in the throat relax. Due to this the airway becomes tightened and causes the breathing to stop.  The brain then sends signals to wake you up and begin the breathing process again.  Many people with this type of sleep apnea do not even know that their sleep is being interrupted at night.

The other, central sleep apnea is less common and happens because the brain doesn’t send specific signals to the muscles that control breathing.  This will again resulting in the person to wake up, but in this case, the person may remember waking up.  Moreover, some people have a mixture of the two called mixed sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea can bring about extra complications as every time a person stops breathing there is a decrease in the oxygen to the brain and body.  This disruption may cause problems within the cardiovascular system.

When trying to discover what is sleep apnea it is interesting to point out, that this happens in more men than women and is often becoming a problem when you are getting older.

Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea

When attaining what is sleep apnea, it is paramount to find out just what the symptoms of this disorder are.  People with sleep apnea are not getting good nights sleep and will often find themselves very tired during the day.  Those people with sleep apnea are also complaining of headaches, sore throats in the morning and one of the most common complaints is loud snoring, although this doesn’t always indicate sleep apnea.

If any of these symptoms seem to be your common problem, a talk with a physician may be a good idea.  A physician can set up further testing to decide if this is what is happening and he then will suggest some treatment protocols to help with the situation.  Therefore put aside half a day or a day to pay a visit to a physician.

Knowledge about what is sleep apnea can help you narrow down whether or not this is an issue they are dealing with and then move on to find the proper course of medical treatment.

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