You’ve probably heard people talk about how important it is to sleep 8 hours every night. But if you’re someone who snores or has sleep apnea, you know the struggles of sleeping soundly. Oftentimes, sleep apnea is associated with snoring since it affects your airways. However, that isn’t the best way to categorize the condition, given that you can still have sleep apnea, even without snoring.
To understand how sleep apnea works without snoring and which treatment is used to minimize its effects, keep reading this blog.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that messes with the regulation of your breathing while you’re sound asleep. It takes the form of repetitive paused breathing, or “apneas.”
These pauses cycle throughout the night, lasting between 10 to 30 seconds. Thus, when your body does not get the oxygen it needs, it can lead to serious problems down the line.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
In most cases, the person with sleep apnea is completely unaware of what they are going through. It’s usually someone else who notices the symptoms and alerts the person of their irregular sleep pattern. Mentioned below are the identifiable symptoms of sleep apnea.
- Very loud snores with brief pauses in between.
- Choking during sleep or gasping for air.
- Feeling sleepy or drowsy throughout the day.
- Your mouth feels dry after you wake up.
- Falling asleep while driving or talking to someone.
- Constant mood swings.
- Needing to nap all the time.
- Poor concentration or bad memory.
- Waking up with a headache every morning.
Can You Have Sleep Apnea Without Snoring?
Snoring is a huge identifiable marker for sleep apnea, but it’s not the only one. There are many signs that are linked to the sleep disorder. Not to mention, out of all the different types of sleep apnea, central sleep apnea is the one responsible for the lack of snoring.
Although rare, it occurs when your brain fails to send timely signals to the muscles controlling your breathing. This ultimately results in labored breaths and a disorderly sleep pattern. i
Moreover, since your brain causes central sleep apnea and not the airway, snoring is not at all related. In fact, there are other variables that give way to this type of sleep apnea. For instance, people dealing with heart conditions or those older are more likely to suffer from anti-snoring sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
Changing your lifestyle and habits is the best way to treat sleep apnea. Whether it’s by meditating to lower stress or avoiding caffeine before bed, the options are endless. However, if you’re looking for a more physical treatment plan, you could try investing in a CPAP machine or oral appliance therapy to regulate your breathing at night.
To Sum It Up
Sleep apnea is surprisingly a pretty common sleep disorder — but one that works in incognito mode, which means you can have sleep apnea even without snoring. Nevertheless, to treat your sleep apnea symptoms, contact Nirvana Elite Sleep & Wellness at 832-952-1199 or visit 303 Longmire Rd Suite # 102, Conroe, TX 77304, United States, today.