If you are waking up at night and you don’t feel rested in the morning, you might be dealing with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is dangerous because it causes you to stop breathing while you are sleeping. This prevents you from getting the rest that you need and it becomes a lot harder to feel good during the day. When you have sleep apnea you actually stop breathing during the night and this wakes you up. Sleep apnea is bad for your heart and it can lead to other disorders as well. If you have sleep apnea it is very important that you do what you need to do to stop it.
If you have sleep apnea you are going to have certain symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is loud snoring. Your snoring can be so loud that it wakes you up in the middle of the night. You also wake up when you stop breathing in the middle of the night. You might wake up gasping for air and your mouth and throat might be dry when you wake up.
Many people wake up with a headache and you can also end up with insomnia when you have sleep apnea. It can be very hard to fall back asleep when you keep waking up because of apnea and you can’t get the rest that you need. If you are not feeling rested after sleeping and you feel very sleepy during the day, you might want to start getting treated for sleep apnea. You might also feel irritable if you have sleep apnea.
The loud snoring that comes from sleep apnea can put pressure on your relationships because your partner might not be able to share your bed anymore since the snoring is so loud. If you have sleep apnea it is important that you see your doctor because your doctor can help you deal with the apnea you are experiencing.
Sleep apnea happens when the muscles in your throat relax and vibrate when you breathe. Your muscles actually relax too much and this closes up your throat so your body can’t get the air that it needs. Your blood oxygen levels decrease and you wake up so you don’t die. Apnea is very destructive to your sleep and it causes you to wake up multiple times in the night.
There are many risk factors that make you more likely to end up with sleep apnea. You are more at risk if you are overweight because the fat obstructs your airway. You are also more likely to get it if you are older or have a family history of apnea. Men are more likely to have it and you are also more likely to have it if after menopause if you are a woman.
Drinking alcohol at night can lead to apnea since drinking relaxes your airways and makes it more likely that you experience apnea. Smoking can also increase your risk. You are also more at risk if you are congested. If you have apnea and don’t treat it your risk of having high blood pressure goes up and you could also end up with heart problems. Your risk of getting type 2 diabetes goes up as well.
You will want to visit your doctor if you have sleep apnea because your doctor can put you on a treatment plan so you can start getting better. Apnea is dangerous and if you think you have it you need to get help. Your apnea won’t go away unless you start doing something about it. Get treated before it gets worse.