Could you describe a typical nights sleep for a Sleep Apnea Sufferer and why is it of such concern ?.
Sleep in an individual who suffers from OSA is cyclical. This cycle may repeat itself hundreds of times per night. • You fall asleep. • The musces in your throat as well as your body relax. • The relaxed muscles allow the air passages in your throat to constrict or collapse upon itself. Air flow is restricted or blocked. • The restricted air flow cause laboured breathing accentuated by loud snoring or snorts. A complete closure (apnea) may be the cause of pause in breathing rhythm. • The amount of oxygen in your blood stream begins to drop. Your body continues to use depleted oxygen in the bloodstream. Oxygen is not being replaced by breathing, and the carbon dioxide level in ther bloodstream begins to rise. • You continue to sleep, struggling for air. The struggle may last 10, 20,40, 60 seconds between breaths. • Your pulse (heart rate) slows. • A centre in your brain detects the altered blood chemistry (i.e., high carbon dioxide, low oxygen). This state is called Hypoxia. • in order
