Wednesday, January 4, 2012

How To Know If You Have Sleep Apnea

By Margaret Burgess


If you had noticed that you snore heavily, have shortness of breath, or a choking sensation during the night, then you may have sleep apnea. Most people thing that snoring is just snoring, but it can actually be a warning sign of something much more serious. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that could lead to heart problems, an increased likelihood of having a stroke or other ailment. You could have many health problems if you don't treat it properly.

To properly diagnose sleep apnea, a doctor will ask a series of questions, and you may have to undergo a sleep study. This is what will happen during a sleep study: You will be hooked to various monitoring devices, which will record your breathing, snoring, and others. The physician carefully reviews the results and either makes a positive diagnosis for sleep apnea or informs the patient that he/she tested negative for the disorder.

You should have sleep apnea diagnosed as early as possible. A spouse may be your best source of information for early warning signs, such as heavy snoring, pauses in breathing, etc. The next step would be patient awareness, which may involve the patient realizing that he feel exhausted during daytime, unable to concentrate on normal activities, and have personality changes. These can be caused by lack of sleep, which will occur when a person who has sleep apnea wakes up because of breathing difficulties in the middle of the night. A person with sleep apnea will completely stop breathing during the night, which would cause them to wake up every time it happens. The person may not even recall waking up, but his quality of sleep is affected.

There may be warning signs like being overweight, smoking, drinking alcohol, allergies, sleeping on the back often, etc, but take not that these aren't necessarily symptoms. These may be a few of the factors that lead up to sleep apnea and, as a result, often have a hand in it's prevention. By losing weight, giving up cigarettes and alcohol, ridding the home of allergens and sleeping on the side, sleep apnea may soon be a thing of the past.

You should be aware that this article is just for informational purposes. It shouldn't be used as professional medical advice. Before beginning any treatment for snoring, please consult a doctor for a proper diagnosis and remedy.




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