Sleep apnea (also spelled apnoea) means you stop breathing during sleep. It may long for a few moments or for many seconds. If the problem is chronic, your body and brain remain oxygen-starved during the repairing process.It can happen every few minutes: 5-10 times per hour, which means 80 times per night.
This is why instead of feeling fresh, you feel tired and under par after sleep. With less energy ('Qi' in Chinese medicine), your immunity will be lower, your performance will suffer and you may feel depressed.
This condition is a threat to your health. It is also associated with obesity because insufficiency of oxygen slows down your metabolism leading to increased fat.
Symptoms Obstructive Sleep Apnea
This is the commonest kind of sleep apnea. You stop breathing during sleep, or take shallow breaths, which can be detected only with instruments. After periods of loud snoring, you have episodes of gasping, choking, and upon waking up; you feel short of breath and need to breathe deeply for a while. You may also have a dry mouth or throat after waking up or your nose may be blocked.
One might also feel chest pain or headache during the day. Tiredness, sleepiness and episodes of narcolepsy—falling asleep without knowing during the day—may also occur. You may also feel depressed. No matter how long you sleep at night, your performance suffers in many spheres of life. You feel tired because it prevents you from reaching deep levels of sleep (when your brain enters the theta and delta wave patterns). Your body doesn’t generate so much human growth hormone (HGH) to repair itself properly. The rapid eye movement sleep may also prevent you from getting enough sleep, leading to a lack of mental freshness.
Who is Susceptible?
Men are more susceptible than women. Obese people are at more risk than thin people. The tendency increases with age. People who snore are also susceptible. Some thin people are susceptible and apnea may increase their weight. People with large tonsils or narrow airways in the nose are also at risk.
Smokers and drug addicts are also susceptible.
If you have risk factors for heart problems, high blood pressure, family history of sleep apnea, you may have this disease. Some racial groups, including Hispanics and Afro-Americans, may also get this problem. Alcohol worsens it. Medication, including sleeping pills, may worsen it. Sleeping position: In many cases, sleeping on your back makes you more susceptible, but this is not the case with everyone. Mouth breathers and nose breathers may also lead to the problem. Waking up tired and realising that your nose is unaccountably clogged might suggest you have sleep apnea. Taking stimulants, including caffeine, may increase susceptibility in some people.
Causes in Chinese medicine: There are three main syndromes that describe or explain the condition in Chinese medicine. Spleen Qi deficiency, Phlegm Qi Stagnation, and Blood Stagnation. (These syndromes will be discussed in the next column).The author is Head of the Department of Acupuncture, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi