You've gotten pokes and prods in the rib from your partner in the middle of the night to wake you from sleep. He or she rolls over and groggily moans, "You're snoring again." After months of this repeated ritual, you begin to wonder: Do I have sleep apnea?
Individuals who struggle with diabetes could very well struggle with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Over the past two decades, an increasing number of research have illuminated the fact that many symptoms of diabetes are common in people with OSA. These similarities include:
Those who know little about sleep apnea oftentimes don't know how exactly it relates to changes in blood pressure. However, sleep apnea can cause a significant and sometimes dangerous increase in blood pressure.
Sleep apnea is, to put it simply, a term that means your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. There are three types of sleep apnea – the difference between these types relates to what causes the sleep apnea:
Sleep apnea, a disorder wherein an individual's breathing recurrently starts and stops, impacts an estimated 22 million Americans. Shockingly, approximately 80% of those affected have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea and are undiagnosed. Given these statistics, it's alarming to know that sleep apnea can trigger side effects that can cause harm to a critical organ in your body: the brain.
There are three types of sleep apnea. (1) Obstructive sleep apnea is caused when the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep. This blockage greatly reduces or completely stops airflow, and is usually accompanied by loud snoring.
Before exploring the signs of sleep apnea, let’s first define the meaning of the disorder. According to The National Sleep Foundation, sleep apnea is defined as “a sleep disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep.”
Chances are, you have a “famous” snorer in your family – a father, grandfather, husband, brother – whose sleep-time perturbations shake the whole house. Maybe you are the famous snorer.
Your sleep does not have to be a mystery. A sleep study is a reliable, scientific, and painless way to find out why you don't sleep as well as you would like. It gives you valuable insight into the process of how you sleep. But it doesn't just give you understanding. It can also provide you with answers. With the results, a sleep specialist will be able to develop a plan of treatment to help you finally get the kind of sleep you want and need.
