What is Sleep Apnea?
Definition of sleep apnea in psychology you must know when you suffer sleeping disorder like sleep apnea. Some people have a poor quality of sleep, which will eventually tire them during the day. Often, this is the result of sleep apnea, which is one of the leading reasons why too much daytime sleepiness exists in some people.
Definition of Sleep Apnea in Psychology
Sleep apnea is not uncommon. It is an ordinary disorder that causes a person to have shallow breaths or more breathing pauses. Pauses in breathing may last for some seconds to a few minutes and may occur from 5 to 30 times an hour. Then, when the person starts breathing normally again, he may have a loud snorting or choking resonance.
This sleeping disorder is an ongoing condition that may disturb one’s sleep many nights for each week. Frequently, he goes out of his deep sleep to get into a lighter sleep when his breathing becomes shallow or it pauses.
Apparently, most people who have this sleeping disorder and sleep apnea causes are not aware that they have it since this only happens during sleep. The person who notices the first signs of sleep apnea may be a family member or a bed or sleeping partner.
Why do people have this disorder anyway?
Sleep apnea symptoms often occur because of an obstructed airway during sleep. When an airway is blocked, this may cause pauses and shallow breathing. When the person tries to breathe, the air that squeezes in can cause loud snores. This disorder may affect practically anyone, but it occurs a lot more with overweight people. It is also common in men. Only one out of 50 middle-aged women is diagnosed with this obstructive sleep apnea. As a person gets older, he gets closer to getting sleep apnea. In 10 people 65 years old and above, one is diagnosed with sleep apnea. Women are also likely to develop the disorder after reaching the menopausal stage. Physically, people who have small airways in their breathing organs are also most likely to have sleep apnea. Moreover, children who have enlarged tissues in the tonsils are also prone to getting afflicted with the disorder.
Sleep Apnea Treatment – But how do doctors diagnose this?
Doctors become aware of sleep apnea diagnosis after reviewing medical and family histories. A patient may also have to undergo a physical exam or sleep apnea test and a sleep study by a doctor or a sleep specialist.
An interview with a patient’s family may be conducted about how a patient sleeps and how he works during the day. If a patient wants to help the sleep specialist, he may have to keep a sleep diary for about 1 to 2 weeks. A sleep diary contains how well and how much a person sleeps at night. This will also have to contain how sleepy he feels in the day. The doctor or sleep specialist may also have to know sleep apnea treatment and how often a person snores and how loud it is as well as how many times he makes gasping or choking noises while asleep. Obviously, the patient has no idea about untreated sleep apnea and definition of sleep apnea in psychology. That’s why a member of the family or a sleeping partner must be the one to report them.
If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, have it treated immediately. Treating sleep apnea is also very beneficial as it can reduce the risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke.