sleep apnea is a disorder that has been estimated to affect around 25
of the population between 30 and 70 years of age we created this video to cover the
medical definition and provide a brief overview of this topic so if you're ready let's get into it
sleep physiology refers to the study of how and why we sleep simply put sleep is a state
in which there is an absence of wakefulness that is metabolically regulated and essential
for human life a sleep disorder is a condition that affects the quality duration timing or
impact of a patient's ability to sleep or function properly while awake and it just so happens that
sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder to be a bit more specific sleep apnea is a disorder
characterized by repeated episodes without breathing while asleep that lasts for at least
10 seconds or longer there are two primary types obstructive and central sleep apnea
obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by the absence of breathing while asleep that is caused
by a blockage of the upper airway it is often associated with obesity with this type breathing
efforts are being made by the patient but the airflow is blocked in the back of the throat
some examples of the common causes of obstructive sleep apnea include upper airway abnormalities
tonsiller hypertrophy a large neck small chin or increased soft tissue around the neck a diagnosis
of obstructive sleep apnea can be made using a sleep study also known as polysomnography it
records the patient's brain activity eye movements muscle activity and heart rhythm during sleep
the treatment for obstructive sleep apnea involves the use of non-invasive insulation
which applies positive pressure to the airway in order to reduce the number of apnea episodes
cpap is the most common type although bipap may be used in some cases also
the use of a specialized mouthpiece can be helpful to reposition the jaw forward which opens up
the airway so that breaths can flow more freely supplemental oxygen may be indicated in some cases
and if non-invasive treatment methods are not effective the doctor may recommend a
surgical procedure to correct the anatomical abnormalities causing the airway blockage
now let's talk about central sleep apnea central sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by the
absence of breathing while asleep that is caused by a medullary depression that
inhibits an inspiratory effort it is characterized by a lack of drive to breathe during sleep in
which the patient does not make any breathing efforts it differs from obstructive sleep apnea
because with that type breathing efforts are being made by the patient but the airflow is blocked
by an obstruction in central sleep apnea the apnea periods aren't caused by a blocked airway
they occur because the portion of the brain that controls breathing isn't functioning properly
this results in no respiratory effort insufficient ventilation and compromised gas exchange
some examples of the common causes of central sleep apnea include a stroke muscular dystrophy
guillain-barre syndrome als congestive heart failure chronic opiate use and congenital
abnormalities a diagnosis for central sleep apnea can also be confirmed using polysomnography
the treatment for central sleep apnea involves caring for any underlying issue that may be
causing the condition non-invasive ventilation machines can be used while the patient is sleeping
to reduce periods of avenue this includes both bipap and cpap devices
and supplemental oxygen may also be indicated but again for this video we just wanted to provide you
with a brief overview of the different types of sleep apnea and just a quick reminder we
are not doctors this video is for informational purposes only but real quick if you don't mind
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hopefully what you learned in this video was useful and can help you develop a better
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and if you want to dive even deeper we do have a full guide on our website
i will drop a link to it right below this video down in the description thank you so
much for watching all the way to the end have a blessed day and as always really easy my friends
you