When my friend Jerry said the throat specialist had diagnosed him as having sleep apnea, I asked him what made him aware of the problem in the first place.
He said his wife kept complaining of his loud snoring so he went to the throat specialist who examined him and recommended he spend a night at the hospital.
A few days later Jerry was shown the test results and informed that he had sleep apnea.
I was appalled.
I snore too.
So does that mean I had this sleep apnea as well? What is sleep apnea and what are its symptoms? I picked up a book from the local library and found out that apnea is a sort of breathing disruption and occurs when we are sleeping.
If the stats at the end of the book are to be believed, then as much as 90% of people here in the United States might be suffering from sleep apnea and not know of it.
Seems we all choke and gasp for air many times during our "normal" sleep but don't have any recollection of it.
Wow! I somehow could not imagine myself gasping and choking and not knowing it.
The good news was, just because I snore does not mean I have sleep apnea.
Aha! Snoring, I read, was not the same as having apnea.
Snoring is caused by obstruction in the wind pipe and results in the loud sound I might make when sleeping.
True it is unpleasant for my wife but it does not mean I have sleep apnea.
However, the book also tells me that if I snore, the chances are good that I might be suffering from sleep deprivation.
On reading further, I found out that the symptoms of sleep deprivation include a feeling of weakness when you wake up in the morning like your sleep was not completed, feeling tired instead of refreshed, waking up with a headache, suffering from frequent heartburn at night and you make couple of trips to the loo every night.
Symptoms of sleep deprivation that your partner might notice include loud snoring, that you don't seem to breathe and wake up choking only to fall back to sleep again, as well as tossing and turning during sleep.
The book however mentions that accurate diagnosis can only be done at the local hospital or sleep center where they have the proper medical equipment to monitor you as you sleep.
What about our kids? The book also had a chapter on sleep deprivation in kids.
You should have your child examined if your child is below five years of age and snores, or breaths through the mouth, sweats, is restless and wakes up many times during the night.
If your child is above five years old and snores, there is frequent bed wetting, is poor at studies and has stunted physical growth in comparison to other children of the same age, then you should consider taking your child to an expert on sleep apnea.
He said his wife kept complaining of his loud snoring so he went to the throat specialist who examined him and recommended he spend a night at the hospital.
A few days later Jerry was shown the test results and informed that he had sleep apnea.
I was appalled.
I snore too.
So does that mean I had this sleep apnea as well? What is sleep apnea and what are its symptoms? I picked up a book from the local library and found out that apnea is a sort of breathing disruption and occurs when we are sleeping.
If the stats at the end of the book are to be believed, then as much as 90% of people here in the United States might be suffering from sleep apnea and not know of it.
Seems we all choke and gasp for air many times during our "normal" sleep but don't have any recollection of it.
Wow! I somehow could not imagine myself gasping and choking and not knowing it.
The good news was, just because I snore does not mean I have sleep apnea.
Aha! Snoring, I read, was not the same as having apnea.
Snoring is caused by obstruction in the wind pipe and results in the loud sound I might make when sleeping.
True it is unpleasant for my wife but it does not mean I have sleep apnea.
However, the book also tells me that if I snore, the chances are good that I might be suffering from sleep deprivation.
On reading further, I found out that the symptoms of sleep deprivation include a feeling of weakness when you wake up in the morning like your sleep was not completed, feeling tired instead of refreshed, waking up with a headache, suffering from frequent heartburn at night and you make couple of trips to the loo every night.
Symptoms of sleep deprivation that your partner might notice include loud snoring, that you don't seem to breathe and wake up choking only to fall back to sleep again, as well as tossing and turning during sleep.
The book however mentions that accurate diagnosis can only be done at the local hospital or sleep center where they have the proper medical equipment to monitor you as you sleep.
What about our kids? The book also had a chapter on sleep deprivation in kids.
You should have your child examined if your child is below five years of age and snores, or breaths through the mouth, sweats, is restless and wakes up many times during the night.
If your child is above five years old and snores, there is frequent bed wetting, is poor at studies and has stunted physical growth in comparison to other children of the same age, then you should consider taking your child to an expert on sleep apnea.