Author: Jim Brackin

Often a cause of sleeplessness, sleep apnea pronounced (AP-ne-ah) is often the cause in which the breathing slows or becomes very shallow through the night.

Disturbed or shallow breathing can last from a few seconds to several minutes. For the worst affected these breaks could throughout the night. Once the apena is over, it is often announced by a loud snort or gasping noise.

Many find that sleep apnea can be a long-standing, ongoing syndrome that disrupts sleep patterns over a long period of time. It causes sufferers to move out of deep sleep and into a shallow sleep when the apnea starts and the breathing is interrupted or becomes shallow. This often results in insomnia, broken sleep patterns or poor sleep quality that causes problems whilst awake. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of daytime lethargy.

Overcome the effects of sleep problems

Most people who have sleep apnea don't even reasile it because the symptoms only appear during sleep. Because doctors can have trouble detecting the ailment, sleep apena is often missed; this is compounded as there are no other tests for the problems.

The first person to notice is usually a partner or spouse. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea - where the airway has collapsed or is blocked during sleep. It is this restriction or blockage can cause shallow breathing or breathing is interrupted.

During apnea when breathing, the air compresses past the blockage which may bring about deep snoring. Although it can affect anyone, if the sufferer is overweight then obstructive sleep apnea is more likely to be an issue. For younger people it's feasible that they may have enlarged tonsil tissues, which could result in obstructive sleep apnea.

Central sleep apnea, whilst less common has similar symptoms. Where obstructive sleep apnea is a physical problem, central sleep apnea tends to be more psychological. The section of the brain that controls breathing stops sending the correct signals to the muscles that regulate breathing. As a result, there is no brain stimulus to breathe.

Central sleep apnea can occur in anyone. However, it's more likely in those with certain medical conditions or use particular medicines. Whilst they often occur together if the sufferer doesn't snore then it is more likely that central sleep apena is the probable problem.

Does sleep apena signal other issues?

Obstructive sleep apnea may be a 'tip off' for various other physical issues, for example; an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes or heart failure.

In conclusion sleep apnea is a chronic condition that needs careful management. But there are a number of things you may do to offset the effect, they include lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, hypnosis, CBT or 'talking cure' therapies, surgery or breathing devices all of which could successfully heal or cut back the effect of sleep apnea in the vast majority of sufferers.

About the author: If you want a natural treatment for treating insomnia, consider Sleep Easy a gentle insomnia cure which is proven to prompt a restful night's sleep. Jim Brackin runs jimbrackin.com a talking cure, self-help, advice website.