Sleep Difficulties

The importance of a good night rest to the body cannot be over emphasised, it is during this time the body rejuvenates, recharges itself and gets ready both physically and mentally to face the tasks to come in the long day ahead.
Constant lack of sleep interferes with these procedures and breaks the cycle causing negative effects on your body. Sleep deprivation effects includes: low energy level, hormone imbalance, constant mood swings and weight problems. However, it doesn't just end there, constant lack of sleep not only affects your physical health, it also takes a serious toll on your mental health and capabilities causing you problems like loss of memory, strees, anxiety, depression, an inability to focus on anything, a constant feeling of being overwhelmed and fatigued.

But you don't have to settle with this disorder because it can be treated. In this article I will be talking about the causes, the treatments and the steps you need to take to ensure you get a good nights sleep in order to improve your health.

The Causes Of Sleep Deprivation

In this section of the article, I will be answering the question "why can't I sleep?" poised by many readers. This question is becoming more rampant as more and more people go through one kind of sleep disorder.
Sleep deprivation can be caused by numerous reasons like: medications, insomnia, snoring, pregnancy, sleep apnea, nightmares, cold or flu... and so on. But in this article I will be talking about Sleep Apnea and how it causes sleeping disorder.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

"Apnea" is a Greek word which literally means “without breath”. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder caused by irregularities and difficulties in breathing. 

There are 3 different types of sleep apnea:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: This kinds of sleep apnea are more common and often occurs when the throat muscles relax, preventing the individual from getting enough air and reducing the amount of oxygen level present in the body. Once the brain senses this drop in oxygen it would try waking you thereby causing a chocking or a gasping for air feeling.

Central Sleep Apnea: This is caused when the brain sends wrong command signals to the muscles handling breathing thereby causing irregularities and difficulties in breathing. 

Complex Sleep Apnea: Is th worst. It is the combination of both the obstructive and central sleep apnea all in one individual making life even more difficult.

Despite the diversatity in the root cause of the different types of sleep apnea, they all have one thing in common and that is, "people with untreated sleep apnea will stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep". This might occur so frquently every few minutes, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often it doesn't last longer than a minute. And in most cases the individual is totally unaware of these breath irregularities or stoppages because they don’t trigger a full awakening.
Signs and Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea
The signs and symptoms of sleep apnea might sometimes overlap with other sleep disorders or health problems, but here are some of the most easiest to spot of the symptoms:
 

• Unusual Loud snoring
• Difficulties in breathing or suddenly Gasping for air while asleep
• Waking with a dry mouth
• Waking up after long hours of sleep but still feeling tired and weak
• Irregularities in your breathing while you sleep
• Early morning headache attacks
• Feeling restless and finding it difficult to stay asleep 
• Excessive daytime fatigue and sleepiness
• Difficulty paying attention to anything while awake
• Mood swings and Irritability

Not treating sleep apnea will not only lead to poor performance in daily activities, but can also lead to a whole lot of medical conditions which includes: high blood pressure, high risk of diabetes 2, stroke, liver problems and a higher risk of heart diseases.

Sleep Apnea Treatment

 With the advancement in technology and the knowledge of the human body, researchers have found a way to treat this sleep disorder. This treatment can range from a little lifestyle changes, to losing weight or changing sleep positions, to taking CPAP therapy, or to surgery.
The most famous treatment is the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).
Continuous positive airway pressure -- also called CPAP -- is a treatment in which the individual wears a nose or mouth mask while sleeping.
Before choosing any treatment for your sleep aspnea, it is advisable you see a professional medical personal for advice and guidance.