Sleep apnea is both a breathing and sleeping disorder. It consists of a partial stopping of breathing during sleep.

Research has shown that, depending on the severity of the problem, breathing can stop in a sufferer from five up to fifty times an hour. This can lead to some pretty serious health problems. The main reason for sleep apnea’s associated health problems is the reduced oxygen getting to the tissues. .

A fairly common reason for sleep apnea is a physical one. It is the presence of unnecessary tissue in the upper respiratory tract. This tissue can consist of enlarged adenoids or tonsils. It can also be the growth of polyps that is causing the problem. These problems will need surgery to correct them.

If the diagnosis is that it is one of the above physical causes that is the root of the problem then, once this is dealt with by the correct surgical procedure, a proper night’s sleep can usually be resumed. The adenoid and tonsil problems can usually be dealt with via a one-off surgical operation, but polyps can grow back and might be an ongoing problem requiring regular treatment.

Another common cause of sleep apnea is severe obesity. If this is the diagnosis then losing the appropriate amount of weight, as specified a physician, generally will solve the problem.

Another physical cause of sleep apnea is a congenital deformity in the throat, jaw or neck. In these cases there may be a surgical solution or there may be a device available to alleviate or, at least, moderate the problem.

There are also central causes for sleep apnea and these tend to be the most serious ones because they are rooted in poor brain control. Most commonly these causes are diseases such as polio and encephalitis or a severe stroke. In these cases there are usually solutions to help with the symptom of oxygen deprivation even if not much can be done about the cause.

Because of the severity of the potential health problems that can be caused by sleep apnea, if you suffer from this condition it is important that you seek proper professional medical advice at the earliest opportunity.

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