Sleep apnea: causes, symptoms and treatment options

This video is meant to expand your general knowledge about living a healthy life and is NOT a substitute for seeking medical advice. Please consult with your doctor before making changes in your health practices, diet and self-care.

In this video, we learn the symptoms, potential causes and treatment options for sleep apnea.

If you have been suffering from snoring, daytime sleepiness, repeated awakening during the night, weight gain, gasping and choking…. you may be suffering from sleep apnea, one of the most common and potentially damaging sleep disorders, affecting millions worldwide – yet also one of the most treatable.

What the condition essentially refers to is a pause in breathing during sleep; breathing typically stops for at least 10 seconds, and may stop a 100 or more times each hour.

Most people think of sleep apnea as a disorder with a single cause, but there are actually three types of sleep apnea, each occurring due to different physical processes:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
2. Central sleep apnea
3. Complex sleep apnea

Diagnosis will rely on a lab or home sleep study, and the most common treatment involves a CPAP machine, or continuous positive airway pressure device. This device applies gentle air pressure into the blocked airway, allowing oxygen to enter the lungs.

Read more about sleep apnea here.

View the original video here.

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