History Of Sleep Apnea Essay

Probably, the most important advance in the history of sleep medicine was the discovery of sleep apnea in 1965. For years, specialists looked into obstruction sleep apnea (OSA) as a simple, intermittent closure of the upper airway; hence; early treatments focused mainly on eliminating airway obstruction. Sleep apnea is a breathing pause for brief period during sleep. This sleep disorder causes irregular breathing and snoring patterns which is where person momentarily stops breathing. It can happen to adults and children as well. The Inability to get restful sleep can also lead to sever exhaustion. During normal sleep, the muscles that control the tongue and soft palate hold the airway open. When these muscles relax, the airway
narrows. This can lead to snoring and breathing difficulties. If the muscles relax too much, the airway can collapse and become blocked, obstructing breathing. The most common symptoms of sleep apnea are:
1. Sleep deprivation. Interrupted sleep can cause nocturia (excess of need to urinate during the night) and insomnia. Effects are also appearing during the day because lost of restful sleep leads to difficulty concentrating, headaches and fatigue
2. Snoring, this can interrupt the sleep of other people as well
3. Chronic daytime sleepiness

4. Irritability
5.
Impaired concentration
Sleep apnea disorder can worsen other health problems, for example: decrease in oxygen level can cause chest pain and irregular heart beat (arrhythmias). Left untreated OSA may lead to complications such as: high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Obstructive sleep apnea develops when there is a blockage of the airways. Normally, Air has to go through the mouth and nose down the throat also called the pharynx. Air then flows down the trachea spreading into the lungs. Each time when breathing, negative suction pressure pulls the soft tissue in the mouth and pharynx inward. The muscles in the pharynx respond by pulling the soft tissues outward again, which keeps the airway open. While sleeping, it’s normal for the muscles in the mouth, tongue and pharynx to relax slightly, but not enough to block the airway. However, when having OSA, the mouth and pharynx muscles may relax too much. The tongue drops on a soft tissue in the roof of the mouth pressing it against the back of the throat. This completely blocks the flow of the air into the lungs. The lack of oxygen in the lungs leads to waking up. The cycle of apnea and waking up May happened many times at night preventing restful
sleep. Factors that may contribute to blockage of airways include; obesity, because more fat maybe present in the walls of the pharynx. Allergies might cause swelling in the tissues Nasopharynx. Swollen adenoids gland and swollen tonsils that being infected also lock the airway. Sever under bite which pull the jaw back and blocks the airway. These problems are most obvious at night. Hormonal changes at night cause the muscles around the airway to become slightly less stiff

while sleeping. This mean that’s they are less to keep the airway open. Making it to be more likely squashed or obstructed.