Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Everything You Need To Know

If you tend to snore loudly and are fatigued all the time even after sleeping properly at night then you may be having sleep apnea.

It is a life-threatening sleep disorder wherein one's breathing repeatedly stops and begins. There are three main types of sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea, Central sleep apnea and Complex sleep apnea syndrome. In the video, Dr. Sheetal Radia, Consultant Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Oncosurgery, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, Mumbai, tells us more about obstructive sleep apnea, its causes, symptoms, treatment and more.

She explains: Obstructive sleep apnea is commonly seen in the majority of overweight or obese people when the throat muscles relax during sleep. Central sleep apnea strikes in when the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that are responsible to control breathing. Complex sleep apnea syndrome (treatment-emergent central sleep apnea) is when one has obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. The red flags of it are continuous and loud snoring, one's breathing is stopped for seconds while sleeping, gasping for air while asleep, morning headache, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and irritability. If you have OSA, you will be advised of positive airway pressure. Here, the machine delivers air pressure via a piece that fits into your nose or is placed over your nose and mouth while you sleep. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines help one to deal with sleep apnea by delivering a stream of oxygenated air into the airways with the help of a mask and a tube.