Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder characterized by a gap in breathing while asleep. An apnea is a phase where there is a pause or stops in breathing. It usually happened when there is a complete blockage in the airflow. This disorder is more common to adults than children. When this gap in breathing happens, sleep is usually interrupted due to insufficient oxygen in the blood. This disorder is commonly measured while the person is asleep.

Here are the symptoms for sleep apnea. Extreme daytime sleepiness and frequent episode gaps in breathing. And this is usually associated with a loud snore, headache, mouth is dry and still sleepy upon awakening, chest retraction, high blood pressure, irritability, depression, heart burn, insomnia, excessive perspiration, reduced in libido, difficult in concentrating, frequent urination, overweight and confusion. The seriousness of the symptoms ranges from mild to severe.

Sleep apnea is a potential serious medical condition that needs an urgent attention. This condition might lead into a more life-threatening condition such as stroke, heart attack, irregular heartbeat and heart disease. This problem may also cause daytime sleepiness which may lead to accidents, interpersonal problems and lost productivity.

There are several tests to determine if the condition is already a sleep apnea. Polysomnography is a sleep test used to diagnose the disorder. There are two types of polysomnography test. These are home monitoring and overnight polysomnogprahy test.

This disorder is can be treated depending on the severity of the apnea. Changes in behavior are one way to treat mild sleep apnea. Sleeping on the side and losing weight will be a big help.

Using a C-PAP is a one way to treat moderate to severe apnea. C-PAP is an apparatus that produces air into your nose with the aid of nose mask. A Bi-PAP is also used to treat this kind of problem. A Bi-PAP is an apparatus which also produces air. The difference between C-PAP and Bi-PAP is that, Bi-PAP Produces air in two different pressures.