Beyond Tired: Recognizing and Treating Sleep Apnea - AI Podcast
Story at-a-glance
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects nearly a billion people worldwide. It causes breathing interruptions during sleep that prevent you from reaching restorative sleep stages
- Common symptoms include loud snoring, gasping/choking during sleep, morning headaches, daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mood changes that are often mistaken for normal tiredness
- Risk factors for OSA include age, excess throat tissue, weak throat muscles, structural airway abnormalities and vitamin D deficiency, which affects sleep regulation and quality
- Untreated sleep apnea leads to serious health complications including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, weakened immune function and increased accident risk
- Treatment options include CPAP therapy, oral appliances, orofacial myofunctional therapy and lifestyle changes like optimizing breathing habits, maintaining healthy weight and adjusting sleep position
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