What is Sleep Apnea? Creating Awareness

According to the American Sleep Apnea Association sleep apnea is a fatal illness. Two out of the five children in the picture has sleep apnea. Can you tell which two they are? Sleep Apnea cannot be seen with the naked eye. There are different types of sleep apnea's and myths that exist. The type that I was diagnosed with I was born with. I inherited the illness from my father.

The First Myth: One common problem that exist is that sleep apnea is just a sleep problem. That is half correct. The apnea part, which is often forgotten about or most people are not informed about, explains the second truth to sleep apnea. The Truth: Apnea (according to the wikipedia) is the term for suspension of external breathing. During apnea there is no movement of the muscles of respiration and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged. Sleep Apnea is both a sleep problem and a breathing problem.

The Second Myth: Most people think that they can see the illness by just looking at the outer appearance of a person. They judge people and say things like: I don't see anything wrong with you. We sometimes act like superpeople trying to see air. lol. The Truth: Sleep Apnea is common among overweight people so it is often misdiagnosed by doctors who stick to their books. Doctors have tested me over and over for thyroid problems because of my body size and type. For years these experts made the common mistakes. It wasn't until fifteen years later that one doctor finally had the bright idea to send me for a sleep test. Kudos to that PA.

The Third Myth: This myth and mistake was performed by a doctor. She said "the child is OK he only stops breathing ten times the hour. It is common for everyone to have obstruction four times the hour." That is only half true. The Truth: People might stop breathing four times the hour but more than that causes major problems with daily living. While the child slept we could hear choking and gasping for air throughout the night. The child was obviously ill and in need of treatment.

The Fourth Myth: The child only has a behavioral problem. The Truth: Most parents, schools, doctors, and others often think that the problem is a behavior one. The child is often diagnosed with behavior problems and treated with Ritalin. Research Ritalin and sleep apnea. Sleep Apnea may cause behavior problems in children. Children with sleep apnea are not getting the proper rest or oxygen needed to perform well or adapt to their daily lives.

Sleep Apnea is often found in persons that are overweight or obese. Breathing is obstructed by the tonsils and the throat being enlarged. However it can be found in slender and slim persons. The obstruction is caused by either enlarged tonsils and/or an esophagus collapsed. Sometimes surgery can help but sometimes it does not. A person that is diagnosed with sleep apnea and is not overweight is often born with the illness.

There are three common types of sleep apnea's. The first type is obstruction where airflow is blocked or obstructed. The second type is central where the desire to breathe is not there. The brain does not send the signal to breathe. The third type is mixed or complex sleep apnea. This is where you have a combination of both; obstruction and central sleep apnea.