can someone explain sleep apnia???

Question

can it be fatal???

my sister just told me she has it, and she's getting a mask of some sort...

and i wonder who's giving thumbs down for all these good answers???

Answer 1

It can be fatal if you have very bad obstructive sleep apnea and it remains untreated , however you will notice the symtoms mentioned below well before you reach such a danger point . Sleep apnea involves the closing of a flap in your throat as you sleep and your breathing stops for varying amounts of time. It can happen well over a hundred times per night . Imagine not breathing for even 30 seconds and multiply that by 120 stoppages , that means you didn't breath for a whole hour combined . It causes daytime sleepiness and could cause narcolepsy where you just suddenly fall asleep spontaneously. However there is successful treatment to alleviate the problem by wearing a cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) mask with a machine which pumps air in through your nose to keep the flap open in your throat and it also helps alleviate snoring . There is also a bipap machine which is almost the same but the pressure backs off when you exhale . If you suffer from bad snoring , daytime sleepiness and difficulty with concentration and or confusion see your doctor and he may order a sleep study done where they monitor your breathing while sleeping and wire you up to notice all movement and have a camera on you also all night . If you test bad they will have you back a second time and have you use one of the machines I mentioned and monitor your sleep again . They do the second test so they can determine the proper settings on one of the machines which they will order for you from a local medical suppley company . They can be of real help .

Answer 2

Sleep Apnea is when your throat relaxes so much during sleep that it closes your airways. Which forces your body to respond. It is usually not life threatening, but it can be.

More often people who suffer from it, are sleepy and worn down all the time because they can't get a decent night sleep.

Being overweight worsens the symptoms, however it isn't always the case.

They mask you sister is getting forces air down her throat. They call it positive pressure or something similar. If the sleep specialist has prescribed it, I am guessing she is having significant complications from it whether they be health or just lack of ability to stay focused during the day.

Answer 3

Sleep apnea means you stop breathing briefly during sleep. Usually this is a matter of annoyance only, because it is often accompanied by snoring noises. Even though the person may not wake up during the night, this condition does interefere with normal sleep patterns, and can leave the sufferer tired and sleep-deprived. It can be quite serious, and has been known to be fatal in extreme cases. Read more about it here:

http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/index.html?gclid=CKe7iOKqxYoCFRV6IgodkDrHhQ

Answer 4

Sleep apnea or sleep apnoea is a sleeping disorder
with pauses of breathe during sleeping..The definitive
diagnosis of sleep apnea is made by polysomnography.
If you have any doubt if slepp apnea is fatal,You need
to check that out with your doctor.As Soon As Possible.
We are all amateurs on Yahoo Answers,Please check your condition with a professional,instead of YahooAnswers

Answer 5

Sleep Apnia is a sleeping problem that when you are sleeping you snore loudly and sometimes you stop breathing while you are sleeping. My mom has it and she has a mask that you were while you are sleeping and it is loud but you will not snore and it will help you live in case it is serious and you stop breathing it will help you and it is painless for the test to find out if you have it.

Answer 6

Sleep apnea or sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. These episodes, called apneas (literally, "without breath"), each last long enough so one or more breaths are missed, and occur repeatedly throughout sleep. There are two distinct forms of sleep apnea: Central and Obstructive. Breathing is interrupted by the lack of effort in Central Sleep Apnea, but in Obstructive Sleep Apnea breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite effort. In Mixed Sleep Apnea, both types of events occur.

For more search under "sleep apnea" on Google and also see the Wikipedia site below!

Answer 7

I've been dealing with it for over 15 years, When I eat chocolate, I really have a problem with it.

Answer 8

A SITE FOR MORE INFO ON SLEEP APNEA, SEE :
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/sleepapne1/a/sleepapnea.htm

Answer 9

ITS A SERIOUS DEADLY/SLEEPING DISORDER;
YOU HYPERVENTALATE OR DONT BREATHE ,AN SNORE.

12 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE IT;;;ALONG WITH MULTI PROBLEMS;;;;;;;

THIS ONE YOU NEED TO TYPE IN (SLEEP APNEA )TO GET ALL THE SYMPTOMS & PROBLEMS ON CURE OR THEATMENT ON LINE;
THERES MUCH INFORMATION ON THIS, ALONG WITH PICTURES & ADVICE & BREATHING MACHINES;;;;YOU NEED TO FIND OUT MORE ON THIS BECAUSE ,MORE THAN ONE IN FAMILY CAN HAVE THIS,,MY FATHER HAD THIS, BUT WE NEVER KNEW IT,LIKE WHAT IT WAS BACK ,THEN & KNOW I HAVE IT AN USE A BREATHING MACHINE CALLED A (C-PAP)
& I WEAR A MASK AT NIGHT ,IT REALLY HELPS ME;,IVE BEENN USEING MY MACHINE SINCE 2004;ID HEARD OF IT BUT DIDNT BELIEVE IN IT,NOW I BELIEVE IT ,AFTER ONE NIGHT I NEARLY DIED WITH IT!!!!!!!!!! I GOT HELP,AFTER 35 YRS;JUST TYPE SLEEP APNEA AT YAHOO;;

Answer 10

it's when you stop breathing in your sleep. my friend died of it when he was 33 years old. it was really sad. his oxygen level went so low he went brain dead, and his heart stopped, then they revived him, but had to pull the plug. if you have sleep apnea, you have to be careful and be treated for it. it is a very serious condition.