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- Pulmonary Introduction
- Sleep Disorders
- Sleep Apnea
What is your Snore Score?- Quit Smoking
Prepare to quit
Using Medications
Staying Smoke Free- Asthma
Kinds of Medicines
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Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that affects millions of Americans but is often unrecognized, despite the potentially serious consequences of the disorder.
Consequences of untreated sleep apnea may include high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle accidents.
"Apnea" is a Greek word meaning "without breath"; those with apnea literally stop breathing in their sleep. There are three different types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central or mixed (a combination of obstructive and central). Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. Typically the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes the airway so that victims of sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during sleep, as frequently as a hundred times an hour and often for a minute or longer. With each event, the brain signals those with apnea to arouse from sleep in order to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is fragmented and of poor quality. People with untreated sleep apnea are generally not even aware of the awakenings but only of being extremely sleepy during the day. They may, however, realize that they snore or gasp for air during sleep.
What's your snore score?
Your answers to this sleep quiz will help you decide whether you may suffer from sleep apnea:
- Are you a loud, habitual snorer?
- Do you feel tired and groggy on awakening?
- Are you often sleepy during waking hours?
- Are you overweight?
- Have you been observed to choke, gasp, or hold your breath during sleep?
If you or someone close to you answer "yes" to any or all of the above questions, you should discuss the symptoms with your physician or a sleep specialist.
Different treatment options exist; which one is right for you depends upon the severity of your apnea and other aspects of the disorder. Talk to your doctor about your choices.
Pulmonary Introduction | Sleep Disorders
Sleep Apnea (What is your Snore Score?)
Quit Smoking (Prepare to quit, Using Medications, Staying Smoke Free)
Asthma (Kinds of Medicines, Special Hints)