Sleep Apnea Care in India
Sleep apnea is a sleep condition where the patient experiences abnormal breathing while asleep. The breath of a person suffering from apnea pauses for a second or becomes abnormally shallow, resulting in heavy snoring in most of the cases. There are various methods of sleep apnea care in India. A large population in world suffers from this problem and looking for effective treatment.
There are two major types of sleep apnea – Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea. Obstructive Apnea is caused by some unwanted obstruction in the airways that disrupts normal breathing pattern. Central Apnea is caused by a brain disorder where the brain fails to send the signal to muscles that control breathing.
People suffering from sleep apnea miss breathing for 10-20 seconds while sleeping. As a consequence the sleep is disrupted and the patient fails to have a sound sleep.
Snoring is the most common symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Almost 70% of the people who suffer from OSA snore heavily during sleep. However, in case of Central Apnea, snoring is not very common. In Central Apnea, breathing is disrupted frequently while sleeping as the brain does not send signals to breathe.
Who is Prone to Sleep Apnea?
- Overweight People
- People over 40
- People with Heart Disease
- People with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson Disease
- People who have suffered stroke or brain damage
- Children with enlarged tonsils
- People with family history of sleep apnea
- People who frequently smoke
Although sleep apnea is more common in above mentioned cases, it can occur in anyone irrespective of age, sex, and race. However, study suggests that sleep apnea is more common in men as compared to women.
Risks of Sleep Apnea
In people with sleep apnea the heart has to work harder to breathe. The over stressed heart often leads to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and stress. Research shows that people with sleep apnea are also at risk of impotency.
One major consequence of sleep apnea is road accidents which are caused due to sleepiness during the day. Since a sleep apnea patient fails to have a sound sleep during the night, he or she might feel sleepy during the day leading to accidents while driving.
Sleep apnea can have serious consequences and so proper diagnosis and treatment is very important. There is treatment for sleep apnea. In case a person feels that he or she snores heavily or has disrupted sleep, then proper diagnosis and cure are important.
Curing Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can be cured by regularizing the sleep and breathing pattern of the patient. With the aid of mouthpieces, masks, and other breathing devices, a person can restore normal breathing pattern and have a sound sleep.
Such devices to cure the problem of sleep apnea are commonly used by patients on doctor’s recommendation.
Sleep Apnea Treatment in India
A large number of Indians being overweight, stressed, and having cardiovascular diseases, sleep apnea is a common condition among Indians. Thus use of breathing devices and face masks is very common among Indians in order to reduce the effects of apnea and breathe normal. Treatment like CPAP therapy is commonly used to cure sleep apnea.
Other that masks and medicines, Indians also resort to alternative ways of curing sleep apnea. Homeopathic medicines like lachesis and homeopathic opium are effective and cure the problem from root.
Continuous practice of yoga is another effective way of curing sleep apnea. Pranayam or breathing exercises work wonder for lungs and are even effective in curing severe asthma. Sleep apnea patients can benefit from yoga as Pranayam improves the elasticity of lung muscles and increases oxygen intake.
Natural ways of curing sleep apnea are also very common in India. Methods like aromatherapy and ayurveda provide long term and permanent solution to the problem.
Sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems like depression, hypertension, consistent fatigue, and so on. Any symptoms of sleep apnea should not be neglected and proper diagnosis should be done. Prolonged sleep apnea can result in unhealthy and disturbed normal lifestyle. Use of masks and breathing equipments is advised in order to control the problem.