The condition known as sleep apnea is an extremely common medical problem among the elderly. While not being a disease per se, the symptoms are enough to set off the warning bells that come up when a patient is developing sleep apnea.
Apnea is a condition in which breathing stops for a number of minutes. During this time, the person’s brain hears the oxygen levels dropping and stops them from clearing their throat. The resulting interruption can cause the person to snore or even make soft humming noises. When the brain continues to signal the person to breathe, they stop breathing again and the cycle begins all over again.
While it is not clear why this happens, it is believed that there are two different causes that will cause this to happen, one to both the lungs and the brain and the other to only the lungs. It is the combined effect of the two causes that lead to the most severe episodes of apnea.
This leads to the question of why only the lungs experience this atypical behavior of these mild cases of sleep apnea. There are a number of possible explanations.
Patients with cardiac arrhythmia or sleep apnea may experience rapid heartbeats that seem to happen while breathing. This can result in a shortening of the time, the lungs are kept open while the heart is pumping. The oxygen levels of the body are constantly declining during the apnea episode and when the lungs are not fully opened, the brain takes over and resumes breathing.
If the heart is still functioning normally during the apnea episode, it will continue to beat without issue. The brain has no trouble sending out signals to keep the lungs from closing during the apnea episode. Because of this, both the lungs and the brain are left without enough oxygen and thus suffer.
Additionally, the heart rate in the patients with sleep apnea episodes may be abnormally slow. By slow we mean a rate that is so slow that it is not normal and it interferes with the normal breathing pattern of the body.
Other causes of apnea episodes are tumors or other types of internal disorders. While it is not clear whether these conditions cause a continuous area or if they only aggravate the health issues that already exist. This would help explain why the area is often more prevalent in the adults that are suffering from cardiac conditions.
Other factors that cause sleep apnea include genetics, the age of the patient, obesity, lack of exercise, medication, and sleep position. Unfortunately, a person who has multiple factors in play will always be at a higher risk of being diagnosed with the disorder. For example, obese people are likely to suffer from this disorder because of the increased risk of heart disease, and a person with sleep apnea is also more likely to be obese.
Aside from genetics, a lack of exercise and obesity, sleep apnea can also be caused by medications. Many antihistamines that are prescribed for sleep apnea are actually highly addictive, and therefore should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. When a patient takes a non-prescription sedative, the chances of causing the disorder increases.
If you suspect that you or someone that you know may have sleep apnea, please don’t ignore it. If you do choose to seek treatment for the condition, you must take it to a physician who specializes in sleep apnea to ensure that your condition is properly diagnosed and that the correct medication is prescribed.
