The phenomenon of sleep has intrigued scientists for a very long time now. Many of its facets have been studied in detail and quite a few results have come to light. Although still a mysterious activity for us humans it has nevertheless been found that sleep has many positives associated with it.

For instance, a good night’s sleep replenishes bodies used up energy; it helps in augmenting memory, and helps in improving the learning capability of the human beings. Howsoever not everybody is able to enjoy a good night’s sleep. There are many disorders that are associated with sleep. Some of the most common are sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome. Among all such sleep disorders sleep apnea is the most perilous disorder. In sleep apnea the patient finds it difficult to breathe during sleeping. The problem of sleep apnea is associated with loud snoring although not all the people who snore suffer from this disorder. What happens during sleep apnea is that the person’s effort to inhale air creates a suction that leads to the collapsing of the wind pipe. The airflow is thus blocked for some 10 seconds to a minute and hence the person ends up struggling to breathe properly. This leads to a fall in the blood oxygen level. When that happens the brain awakens the person enough to open the windpipe. The person might snort or sometimes gasp and then resume snoring. This cycle might repeat itself for say a hundred times in a single night. The frequent disturbance during the night of a sleep apnea patient might lead to some personality disorders like, depression or irritability or some other mental disorder. Some of the major sleep apnea symptoms are morning headaches, decline in mental functioning, and reduced interest in sex, sometimes irregular heartbeats and an increased risk of heart attack.

People who are suffering from sleep apnea should immediately get themselves treated. There are several sleep apnea treatments that the patient can undergo. One of the most common is the CPAP treatment. There are also many sleep labs available where the patient can get himself treated. These sleep labs offer various facilities to the patient which the patient can avail.