What is Sleep Apnea?
When a patient’s breathing patterns are altered during sleep, it can be due to sleep apnea. During sleep, there are either brief pauses in breathing or intervals of shallow breathing. Due to breathlessness, this ailment frequently causes loud snoring, choking, and gasping for air sleep. This may affect a child’s academic performance or lead to hyperactivity.
Deep sleep and sleep apnea are not the same things. You can have this medical condition even though you get enough amount of sleep during the night. You still feel tired and snore even after deep sleep.
What are the types of sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea can be categorized in two forms i.e., central sleep apnea (CSA), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or a combination of both.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be characterized by obstruction in breathing patterns during sleep. It affects the upper airway resulting in low levels of Oxygen in the blood along with disruption of sleep. The major risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea is death. Lack of oxygen can result in sudden tissue death in the heart resulting in cardiac arrest or stroke.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)
Central sleep apnea (CSA) can be characterized by diminishing or absent breathing during sleep. The breathing pauses for 10 to 30 seconds recurrently in frequency. Blood oxygen reduces resulting body instability and breathing irregularity in sleep. Stroke, lesions in the structural brainstem, and brain tumors are some major risk factors for being under Central Sleep Apnea condition.
What causes sleep apnea to occur?
Sleep apnea can be caused due to various reasons and many times this condition goes undiagnosed. Causes of sleep apnea include:
- Patients who are overweight and obese have the risk of developing this problem as the fat gets deposited in the upper respiratory tract leading to the narrowing of the airway passage.
- Individuals with narrow or broader necks from birth have more tissues around their airways which makes it difficult for air to pass properly squeezing down your throat and lungs with forceful breathing resulting in snores and wheezing during sleep.
- Circumference of the neck is huge (more than 16/17 inches)
- Enlarged tonsils and adenoids block the airway and breathing gets obstructed during sleep
- Reflux in the gastroesophageal part or we can say acid refluxes at night can cause spasms of throat muscles blocking the airway and leading to sleep apnea.
- The upper jaw is narrow
- Congestion in the nose results in changes in airflow pathologically causing sleep to get disrupted due to obstruction of sleep.
- Allergies create nasal congestion which leads to sleep apnea
- A receding chin causes the tongue to fall backward which leads to sleep apnea because it blocks the airway
- Shortened airways
- Aging causes changes in natural sleep architecture resulting in sleep apnea as the chances of upper airway collapse get higher with age
- An enlarged tongue can lead to snoring making you prone to sleep apnea
- Family history
- Use of drugs and alcohol
- Smoking
Can insomnia cause sleep apnea?
Sleep Apnea and Insomnia are two separate sleeping disorders but some patients go through both conditions simultaneously. For patients who are going through this combination of sleep apnea and insomnia, it is said that sleep apnea causes insomnia.
Can drugs cause sleep apnea?
Medications that include substances like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, antihistamines, and opiates do affect the breathing cycle of the body. It increases the risk of getting sleep apnea and this condition may worsen if time is ignored.
What are the warning signs of sleep apnea?
Sleep Apnea can be fatal this condition results in Sleep Apnea also leads to bacterial growth in gums during sleep which can cause gums to plaque and bleeding from the mouth during sleep. Other signs of sleep apnea that you need to keep in mind are as follows:
- Excessive and loud snoring
- Other people report your disrupted breathing during sleep
- Gasping heavily during sleep for air
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- Experience headaches in the morning
- Insomnia (unable to fall/stay asleep)
- Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping especially on days)
- Inattentiveness when you’re awake
- Irritation or a constant state of annoyance
What are the treatments for sleep apnea?
Treatment options for sleep apnea are numerous. Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) have unique treatment modalities. The doctor typically begins behavioral therapy to treat sleep apnea by providing sleeping tablets, advising against drinking alcohol, and suggesting sedatives that assist in relaxing the muscles in the throat and aid in breathing normally while you sleep.
Various techniques, including treatments and, if necessary, surgery, can assist clear obstructed airways while you’re sleeping.
Therapies include:
- Oxygen supply
- Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV)
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
- Oral appliances.
- Treatment-related medical problems
Surgeries include:
- Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty- Tissue removal at the rear area of your mouth and back of your throat
- Polyester or plastic material soft rod implanted into the soft palate
- Inserting nerve stimulation to control tongue movement
- Radiofrequency ablation- Shrinking tissue in the rear area of your mouth and back of your throat
- Repositioning your jaw forward
- Tracheostomy
- Weight loss surgery
- enlarged tonsils or adenoids removal
Can lack of sleep cause breathing problems due to sleep apnea?
Sleep Apnea leads to severe sleep deprivation issues and breathing problems. Sleep apnea causes throat muscle collapse along with airway obstruction during sleep leading to gasping for air and choking due to lack of oxygen.
Conclusion
When a patient’s breathing patterns alters a lot during sleep, it can be due to OSA. Due to breathlessness, this ailment frequently causes loud snoring, choking, and gasping for air sleep. This may affect a child’s academic performance or lead to hyperactivity. OSA can be categorized in two forms i.e., central sleep apnea (CSA), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or a combination of both. Sleep Apnea and Insomnia are two separate sleeping disorders but some patients go through both conditions simultaneously.
Substances like Benzodiazepines, barbiturates, antihistamines, and opiates increase the risk of getting sleep apnea and this condition may worsen if time is ignored. OSA can be fatal this condition results in OSA. Moreover, Sleep Apnea leads to severe sleep deprivation issues and breathing problems. treatment options for sleep apnea are numerous. Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) have unique treatment modalities. Various techniques, including treatments and, if necessary, surgery, can assist clear obstructed airways while you’re sleeping.
9 Best Ways To Increase Dopamine Levels Naturally
Do you ever feel a lack of motivation, tired, not able to concentrate, anxious, moody, depressed, etc? Well, these are the signs of low dopamine levels in your body. Therefore, if you have low dopamine levels and want to increase your levels naturally then you are at the right place. We have 9 natural and best ways to increase Dopamine levels. Let us first know a little bit about what is dopamine?
What is Dopamine?
The human body consists of various body chemical messengers called ‘hormones’. Therefore, they travel in your bloodstream affecting your body slowly over time through different processes which include growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction, and mood. Dopamine is one of them. Therefore, it’s a hormone produced in the adrenaline gland of our body. It is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays a vital role in cells.
Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter and it comes from the organic chemical family of catecholamine and phenethylamine. It plays a role in pleasure, motivation, and learning and it works as a part of the reward system. Therefore, having sex or doing your favorite stuff like going shopping, making artwork, and listening to your favorite song can trigger Dopamine release or we can say a person goes through a ‘Dopamine rush’.
What happens when there is a low level of Dopamine:
Our bodies react in certain ways depending upon the level of Dopamine. An individual having high levels of Dopamine may experience a high level of libido and energy. Therefore, they may experience anxiety, mania, stress, and difficulty in sleeping along with improved focus and learning.
9 Natural and best ways to increase the levels of dopamine.
It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and be fit which also means keeping your hormone level in check. Therefore, check the following 9 ways.
- Stay fit
Physical activities can trigger the release of Dopamine and improve a person’s mood. So working out, going to the gym, doing yoga, or just running a few errands works well to boost your Dopamine levels. Therefore, regular exercise/yoga/meditation rewires your brain’s reward system leading to high levels of Dopamine as well as high availability of Dopamine receptors. However, while meditating, 11C-raclopride binding in the ventral striatum decreased by 7.9% increasing the amount of endogenous Dopamine released by 65%.
- Maintain a healthy diet
A healthy diet is a balanced diet that includes enough amount of proteins, minerals, vitamins, a few carbs, and probiotics in it. Therefore, it helps your body to produce sufficient levels of Dopamine as per your body’s requirements. Foods like fish, poultry, dairy products, Strawberries, green leafy vegetables, Green tea, eggs, nuts, and Coffee can help you boost your Dopamine through diet naturally. Therefore, studies have found that diets containing a high amount of saturated fat can lead to blunted reward response resulting in a reduction in Dopamine level signaling in the brain.
- Get enough sleep
Findings suggest that during the light phase of sleep our body releases NAc core Dopamine and sleep generally increases the level of Dopamine. NAc is a cell type mainly made up of spiny neurons containing D1-type or D2-type Dopamine receptors mainly. Therefore, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is also characterized by an increase in Dopamine release. A short nap in the afternoon can help regulate Dopamine levels in the body well.
- Add nutrients to your diet
Having adequate levels of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and proteins are very important in maintaining Dopamine levels. Therefore, nutrients can be taken in form of pills, supplements, and diet. Iron, Niacin, Folate, and Vitamin B6 are important for Dopamine production, and make sure these things are enough in your nutrition list.
- Achieve goals
Dopamine helps you feel motivated and pushes you to seek rewards by achieving goals. It tends to make you social and outgoing like extroverts with people. On the other hand, achieving goals can boost your Dopamine levels too. Making small to-do lists and achieving your target with small steps is a good start to activating your rewards system leading to an increase in the level of Dopamine in your brain.
- Have a little sweet tooth
Sugar produces huge surges of Dopamine similar to the Brain’s reaction toward substance intakes like heroin and cocaine. Therefore, sweet foods are a great source of energy and fuel for the human body for a long time to maximize human survival. They activate our mesolimbic Dopamine System also called the brain’s reward system. Thus, having a quick candy to generate a Dopamine response for reward and pleasure works well in short term.
- Avoid stress
Stress affects Dopamine levels in the Mesolimbic Dopamine System. MDS helps to cope with stress by making changes allowing them to adapt to environmental situations and behavioral responses. Therefore, people who were exposed to stress for longer durations in their lifetime face the inability to produce the Dopamine necessary for coping with stressful situations, therefore, people need to avoid stress for regulating the healthy level of Dopamine level in their brain properly.
- Spend time with nature
Low levels of sunlight exposure affect your mood-boosting neurotransmitters including Dopamine and getting enough sunlight exposure can help you boost Dopamine. Therefore, breathing fresh air from nature can raise your levels of Oxygen in your brain in turn increasing your levels of Dopamine which lift your mood. Therefore, going on trips, hiking, jogging, and trekking in the natural green surroundings will not only make you fit but also increase the production of various neurotransmitters like Dopamine, Endorphins, and Serotonin. It naturally reduces stress which downregulates your Dopamine level.
- Spend some time doing your favorite activity
However, listening to music, going some grocery shopping, watching the rain, making some fan arts, doing artwork, and playing chess. Moreover, taking selfies can levitate your mood tremendously making you feel motivated. Further, somewhere it rewards your reward system boosting your Dopamine inside the brain and making you feel productive and relieved. Therefore, studies show that listening to music triggers Dopamine in the brain and music is said to make you happy, it relieves your stress and soothes you. In the end, Neurology and Nostalgia go hand in hand.
Conclusion
Dopamine is important to keep you motivated, joyful, social, and outgoing. It pushes you to achieve well in life and uplifts your mood. Therefore, it’s important to regulate this hormone and take care of your body. Therefore, the ways mentioned above are some ways to help you with it naturally. Starting with baby steps means a lot. Thus, it can be running a few miles, or completing your to-do lists. Therefore, taking some time for yourself to do your favorite activity helps and every step counts.
Read More interesting information about all Sleeping Disorder Problems:-
- Sleep Apnea
- Insomnia
- Excessive Daytime Sleeping
- ADHD
- ADD
- Narcolepsy
