There are many misconceptions about the causes and symptoms of sleep apnea. Many believe that the biggest threat from this disease is choking to death. Actually choking is the least of the problems caused by this condition. Here are some of the more serious side effects and symptoms of sleep apnea.

Drop in blood oxygen during incidents of apnea.

This is by far the most serious problem with this disease. A steep drop in blood oxygen is what actually causes people to die from this disease. The lack of oxygen causes the brain to go into a mini-coma from which the victim often does not awake. It is this drop in oxygen to the brain that can cause death in apnea victims and not the unpleasant experience of waking up choking. Lack of oxygen to the brain can have many long lasting effects including brain cell damage and loss of memory.

Irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia and other heart lung malfunctions.

There is growing evidence that sleep apnea may be the cause or at very least a contributing factor to problems with the heart’s electrical conductivity. Irregular heartbeat and atrial fibrillation are common in apnea sufferers. Blood pressure regulation, either too high or too low, is also a common problem associated with sleep apnea.

Irregular heartbeat can create blood clots in the victim’s extremities that can travel to the heart and lungs and cause instant death.

Obesity - the chicken or the egg?

Sleep apnea is thought to be a condition related to obesity. Fatty tissue in the throat closes off the airway during sleep, reducing the oxygen to the brain, but there is growing evidence that apnea may actually be the cause or at least a contributing factor of obesity.

The reason you need to sleep is that your body needs to repair and renew itself from the damage that free radicals and daily muscle exertion causes to our cell structure. During deep sleep the body completes these repairs and restores itself to optimum functionality.

There is a process called the Krebs cycle in which food is converted to simple sugars, which are then converted to micro molecules. These micro molecules combine with blood oxygen and burn in the metabolic furnace of our muscle cells. These fuel molecules are stored in muscle cells to be burned (combined with oxygen) in the muscle’s metabolic furnace when the body does exercise or physical exertion.

Without this storage of cellular nutrients or fuels, the muscle’s metabolic furnace runs more slowly. The body senses starvation and attempts to reduce the metabolic rate to keep its self from running completely out of fuel. Running out of fuel is almost as dangerous as running out of oxygen. Fuel is needed to maintain body temperature and basic body functions. Without a minimum of metabolic fuel you will die. Shortage of metabolic fuel causes muscle atrophy which further slows the body’s overall metabolic rate.

When sleep is interrupted, the Krebs cycle is disrupted and cell rejuvenation and proper storage of cell nutrients is limited. This means that less of the nutrients we take into our bodies is actually used for our bodily needs and the rest is stored as fat. Meanwhile, even with nutrition in overabundance, the body feels weak and deprived and attempts to compensate with cravings for sugars and other easy to assimilate foods. You body is trying to quickly build up these micro-metabolic fuels to protect its very survival.

This inability to use the nutrients we consume creates a spiral of over eating and obesity. Sleep apnea may not be the immediate cause of obesity but it can certainly contribute to the problem and can make it nearly impossible to maintain a healthy weight.

Fatigue, laziness and lack of ambition.

Sleep apnea can create a blood sugar roller coaster of cravings and dietary excesses. Lack of sleep and metabolic malfunctions can contribute to such diseases as diabetes and various nutrient deficiencies. Fatigue, laziness and even lack of ambition can be attributed, at least in part, to sleep apnea.

Mood and chronic depression

There is reason to believe that sleep disorders in general can contribute to long-term chronic depression. Depression is a devastating syndrome that can literally destroy your life.

Apnea is a controllable illness that can cause so many other sometimes-less controllable illnesses. If you think that you may be suffering from sleep apnea run, don’t walk, to the nearest sleep specialist practitioner. Get tested and treated for this disease before it leads to serious health problems.

If you think you may have sleep apnea, or your spouse tells you that you periodically stop breathing at night, the best thing you can do for yourself is to find a doctor in your area that specializes in sleep disorders.

Many people with sleep disorders talk to their family doctor about the problem and are referred to sleep studies at local hospitals or sleep disorder centers. These sleep centers then refer patients to a sleep disorder doctor from a referral rotation list. The doctor assigned from such a list may or may not be experienced in the treatment of sleep apnea.

These referrals are sometimes made to doctors who use lucrative sleep disorder billings as a temporary activity while they are building a practice in their true specialty. Some of these doctors are not familiar with the variety of machines and masks that are available. They rely upon the medical equipment providers and sometimes create additional income for their practice with medical supply referrals.

Medicare and most insurance companies allow the patients to select the medical supply provider and almost all such reputable companies accept these insurances. Choose the most reputable medical supply company in your area, as they will be your supply line to the replacement parts for your sleep apnea machine.

To obtain treatment for sleep apnea you should first consult a doctor in your area who specializes in sleep disorders. The doctor will send you to a sleep study center where you will spend the night. During that first study the technician will determine if you do in fact have sleep apnea. If the first sleep study indicates that you do have sleep apnea you will do a second sleep study during which time you will be put on a sleep apnea machine.

There are basically two types of machines, the CPAP and the BIPAP machine. Most patients will qualify for the CPAP machine. The BIPAP is generally needed by people who have a problem with negative air-flow during exhale.

During the second study the level of the machine’s air volume will be varied to determine the amount of air pressure you need and the amount of air you can tolerate on exhale. If you need more air pressure to solve your sleep apnea than you can comfortably exhale, the BIPAP machine will be the recommended device. If you can exhale against the needed pressure, the CPAP will be the recommendation. Most people will only need the CPAP machine.

There are many different types and sizes of masks and nose pillow devices available for the patient to choose from and during the second sleep study the technician will help the patient choose the best one for them. Most insurance companies supply a new mask or nose pillow device every three to six months so you can try a different mask if you are unhappy with the one you choose.

Setting the machine is done by prescription from your doctor, which is one of the reasons you need a doctor who is thoroughly familiar with the variety of machines and masks available. The wrong setting can actually make your sleep apnea worse. Either too low or two high an air flow setting will cause you to not be able to use the machine comfortably.

Many people believe that sleep apnea is dangerous because it causes the patient to stop breathing. Without the machine many patients wake up choking. The real danger however is not as much the choking as from lack of oxygen in the blood. Lack of oxygen in the blood can cause a sleep apnea patient to NOT wake up choking. In fact lack of oxygen can put the brain in a coma and make the patient not wake up at all.

Your first week on your sleep apnea machine will be amazing to you. Your energy level will be much greater and you will no longer need that mid afternoon cat-nap. If you choose the right doctor and he or she sets you up with the right equipment it could literally recharge your life.