At first glance, the habit of snoring in a dream looks quite harmless for its owner. In fact, snoring is a symptom of one of the most serious diseases of the respiratory system, nocturnal apnea. Let's talk in more detail about what is a nocturnal apnea and what consequences this disease has for the body.
Symptoms of nighttime apnea
First you need to figure out what it is - a night apnea. This unusual name received a syndrome of stopping breathing during sleep. Fortunately, this phenomenon is of a short-term nature, that is, it is almost impossible to die during an attack of apnea. So, what are the causes of nocturnal sleep apnea in adults? Here are a few basic provoking factors:
- family predisposition (special nasopharynx and narrowed respiratory tract);
- obesity;
- the habit of sleeping on your back without a pillow;
- smoking;
- alcoholism;
- impaired thyroid function;
- enlarged adenoids;
- inflamed lymph nodes under the jaw and on the neck.
The more events from this list you can relate to yourself, or to your relatives, the higher the probability of gradual development of the syndrome of nocturnal apnea. Usually the disease manifests itself in full force by the age of 30. Identifying it is quite simple, here are the main symptoms:
- Loud snoring;
- restless sleep;
- headache;
- overweight ;
- fatigue after sleep;
- reddish complexion;
- constant drowsiness during the day;
- increase in blood pressure.
A qualified doctor recognizes apnea within 20-30 minutes next to a sleeping patient. Loud snoring at one point is abruptly interrupted, but the diaphragm continues to perform respiratory movements and gradually snoring, and with it the breathing of the sleeper is resumed.
Treatment of sleep apnea syndrome
The treatment of nighttime apnea is often of a preventive nature. In the early stages, it is enough to teach the patient to sleep on his side, or put a high pillow under his head. In both cases, it is possible to prevent the tongue from falling into the pharynx, as a result of which the airways will not overlap during sleep. Often, for these purposes, on the back of the patient's pajamas, a pocket is sewn into which a tennis ball is placed. As a result, when you try to roll over on your back during sleep, he will experience discomfort and gradually learn to not change the pose. Usually it takes 3-4 weeks for addiction.
It is also strongly recommended to get rid of excess weight with apnea as soon as possible. Statistics show that with a 10% reduction in body weight, the frequency of apnea attacks is less than half.
In advanced stages of apnea, the patient may be prescribed special physiotherapy procedures that extend the lumen of the airways, or even an operation. The problem should not be neglected. As a result of frequent stops of breathing during sleep, the brain gradually begins to experience oxygen starvation and its functions begin to deteriorate. This leads to memory loss and the loss of the ability to concentrate. Over time, the patient may even lose the ability to navigate in space.
Permanent drowsiness and fatigue affect the work of other internal organs, first of all it is the heart and
Sometimes medications are used to treat nighttime apnea. These are sedatives a, which stimulate the relaxation of smooth muscles, as a result of which the attacks become less strong and more short-lived. However, this method of apnea therapy is only permissible in the early stages of the disease. When the disease passes into a severe form, the relaxants are contraindicated, since they can cause complete inhibition of the respiratory function of a person.