Sleep apnea is a condition affecting lots of people whereby breathing becomes difficult and even stops when one is asleep. It is well known as a cause of physical ailments including heart diseases and sleepiness during the day; it also has tremendous effects on mental health. Sleep apnea has far-reaching effects on your mental well-being. In this blog post, we will take our readers through the symptoms that denote the presence of sleep apnea in a sufferer and their loved ones.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea means that, during sleep, breathing is interrupted by pauses that can last several seconds or even minutes. During the night, people may experience interruption of breathing, which lasts for a couple of seconds up to one minute, and such situations may occur several dozens or even hundreds of times. The newly described category is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in which the airway is partially or completely closed during sleep. CSA is also experienced when the brain is unable to send signals to the muscles that regulate breathing as it is supposed to do. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to severe health issues, raising the question: can sleep apnea kill you?
How Sleep Apnea Affects Mental Health
1. Chronic Fatigue and Irritability
One of the most immediate effects of sleep apnea is chronic fatigue. The frequent interruptions in breathing lead to fragmented sleep, preventing the body from reaching the deeper, restorative stages of sleep. As a result, individuals with sleep apnea often wake up feeling unrefreshed, even after a full night’s sleep. This chronic fatigue can lead to irritability, mood swings, and a reduced ability to cope with stress. It is good to send your patient for a home sleep apnea test which can be performed by a qualified sleep doctor.
2. Increased Risk of Anxiety and Depression
A lot of studies have established that sleep apnea is highly associated with mood disorders including anxiety and depression. Trying to breathe through the nose during a nap can cause the process to become a fight and perpetuate a state of hyperarousal, which is the body being on high alert even while one sleeps. This, in the long run, gives rise to anxiety and other stress-related ailments and disorders. Also, the constant tiredness and the absence of sound sleep may lead to hopelessness and enhance the level of depression.
3. Cognitive Impairment
Cognitive functions are also known to be affected by sleep apnea to a great extent. Lack of oxygen together with fewer hours of sleep weakens memory, attention span, and decision-making skills. This mental problem can hinder simple activities in a person’s life by not being able to focus at a job, forgetting that he/she has to do some work and even failing to make reasonable decisions. This, in the long run, increases stress levels, and the feeling of overwhelm, which can have more negative impacts on mental health.
4. Emotional Instability
The patient’s mental health is generally considered unstable since sleep apnea patients frequently have mood swings. The fatigue and stress that are part of student’s lives do not allow for successful emotional regulation, and irritability and frustration may emerge. Trivial problems can get out of hand, and the quality of life is likely to reduce. It can cause the ability to relate poorly with other people and social isolation, which affects mental health.
Signs of Sleep Apnea
It is essential to orient oneself on potential signs of sleep apnea to ensure one gets the correct diagnosis. Here are some common indicators to watch for: Here are some common indicators to watch for:
- Loud Snoring: One of the principal symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring – it is loud and does not stop at night. Though not all people who snore have sleep apnea, it is evident that if one snore and gasps, chokes or has a problem with breathing in some way that suggests sleep apnea.
- Gasping or Choking During Sleep: Sleep apnea patients suffer from episodes of unanticipated choking or gasping and a feeling like they are being choked as they sleep. This is normally brought about by airway obstruction or occlusion, where the child gets temporarily awake to breathe properly.
- Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: Therefore, it may be quite surprising to discover that individuals with sleep apnea can be extremely tired in the morning even if they slept throughout the night. This is attributed to the disruption of sleep by the temporary stoppage of breathing thus making sleep to be of very low quality.
- Morning Headaches: Other symptoms of sleep apnea include morning headaches that are frequent. These are usually as a result of oxygen deprivation during the night and this may be accompanied with dizziness in the morning.
- Difficulty Concentrating: Symptoms that one might be having sleep apnea include confusion, difficulty in focusing, and problems with memory. Since one gets inadequate restorative sleep then essential body activities are impaired and limits one’s ability to concentrate during the day.
- Mood Changes: Hormonal changes and mood swings which include irritability, depression, or anxiety are known to be caused by sleep apnea. This remains in the form of chronic fatigue and stress on the body hence causing significant disturbances in emotions.
Conclusion
The best way to understand sleep apnea is to regard it as a disorder of sleep that has profound implications for your mind. Cognitive disorders, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, and many other mental health conditions are associated with untreated sleep apnea. The following are key to ensure that one does not develop severe physical and mental conditions as a result of sleep apnea; Anyone suspecting of having sleep apnea or a loved one experiencing some of the symptoms should seek medical attention. Correct diagnosis and management of these disorders can enhance the quality of sleep as well as the standard of living and mental health. Do not allow sleep apnea to have impaired you, do whatever you need to do to change and be a healthier happier person.
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