La Sleep apnea It is a disorder that mostly affects men over 40 years old and whose consequences go far beyond waking up sleepy or waking up our partner during the night.
What is sleep apnea?
Although it can be confused with snoring in its mildest phase, it actually has nothing to do with it. Apnea is a sleep disorder consisting of repetitive pauses in breathing of variable duration that occur due to the total or partial closure of the pharynx.. Or what is the same: the patient suffering from sleep apnea stops breathing involuntarily several times throughout the sleep.
Esto causes blood oxygen concentrations to drop significantly, causing complications that we will see in detail later.
Note: Although the breathing of an apnea patient may stop for up to 2 full minutes, this disease should not be confused with cardiorespiratory arrest since during apnea, the heart continues to beat normally.
Symptom
La Sleep apnea is a Sleep disorder which can have several symptoms. The most common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Loud and constant snoring
- Pauses in breathing while sleeping, which may be noticed by a partner or family member
- Waking up at night with a feeling of drowning or lack of air
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Difficulty concentrating and mood swings
- Headache when waking up
- Dry mouth or throat upon waking
Causes of sleep apnea
Causes of apnea They are very varied, depending on the type of disorder involved (obstructive or central), but broadly speaking, we could summarise them as follows:
- La obstructive sleep apnea It occurs when the muscles that support the soft tissues of the mouth and throat (tongue, soft palate, etc.) are too relaxed, causing the airways to narrow or close. A good number of patients with this type of apnea do not even realize that they suffer from it and, in addition, they wake up feeling as if they had slept all night.
- La central sleep apnea, a much less common type, occurs when the brain forgets or omits the order to contract and dilate the muscles responsible for breathing. Patients who suffer from this type of apnea often report waking up with a feeling of lack of air and are usually unable to rest well.
Consequences of sleep apnea
While it is true that apnea occurs only at night, when the patient is barely conscious, there are a number of side effects and collaterals that can cause discomfort and complications in everyday lifeIn fact, this disease can have a direct impact on the lifestyle of people with apnea, who often experience, among others, the following effects:
Daytime drowsiness
If you suffer from central sleep apnea, you are very likely to wake up without having had enough rest and suffer from daytime sleepiness, which means you may have difficulty staying awake.
fatigue and irritability
These two consequences go hand in hand with daytime sleepiness, both direct and the result of a rest that is either unrefreshing or not at all restorative.
It is common for patients with this sleep disorder to experience concentration deficit, severe mood swings, depression and behavioral problems.
Diabetes
Men with sleep apnea are statistically more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without the condition, according to researcher Mako Nagayoshi of Nagasaki University's Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Decreased testosterone production
A recent study conducted by Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and published in «The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism» has shown that More than 50% of patients suffering from sleep apnea produce dangerously low testosterone levels during sleep.
Therefore, people who have sleep apnea may experience a significant decrease in their testosterone production. And that is because Testosterone and sleep As we see, it is deeply related. Testosterone is an essential hormone for the metabolism of men, so Deficient production could cause a decrease in sexual desire, muscle weakness, sexual dysfunctions and other problems. derivatives and complications.
As you can see, low testosterone levels are closely linked to this sleep disorder. If you suffer from it, we recommend Visit a men's health specialist as soon as possible to help you assess whether this condition is causing negative consequences for you. male hormones and if so, to rebalance your levels of testosterone.
A hormone replacement therapy (also known as TRT) is designed exclusively for you along with completely personalized medical care can help correct some of the side effects of sleep apnea.
Treatment of apnea
When it comes to preventing and treating sleep apnea, patients can make some small lifestyle adjustments that will help alleviate its effects.
Since being overweight is an important risk factor when it comes to suffering from this disorder, it is highly recommended to acquire better eating habits and physical activity that allow the patient Lose Weight and keep one healthy.
- Perform moderate exercise daily and in the evenings If your schedule allows, it will help increase the feeling of tiredness at night and increase the likelihood of falling asleep more easily. We recommend you read Tips to increase muscle mass.
- Of course, Avoid the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco can also help.
- At another level, and when needed surgical treatment due to the severity of apnea, the measures to be used are varied depending on the type of apnea, its causes and other conditions. The correction of the nasal septum, the resection of polyps or the restructuring of the soft palate are the most common interventions to treat this disorder.
In some, the most severe cases, they are used oxygen masks that the patient must put on every night at bedtime.
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The article explains the causes and possible treatments.