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An epidemiologist from Marseille, Henri Gastaut, was one of the first to have discovered this disorder by watching his patients suffering from the syndrome Pickwick sleep. The syndrome of sleep apnea can have an effect on the patient's blood circulation, heart rate and blood pressure.
Quick definition.
As its shows in his name, sleep apnea is a momentary suspension of breathing during sleep. Often due to a relaxation of the tongue and throat muscles and helped by age and obesity, this sleep disorder can cause nightmares, snoring, momentary pause of breath, fatigue, weight gain, irritability, and even depression. It is therefore a problem to be taken very seriously.
Do you suffer from sleep apnea?
Since the most obvious symptoms of sleep apnea occur when the victim is sleeping, to know if you have sleep apnea you can ask your spouse or a loved one to help you monitor your sleep. Then if he or she notices that you snore regularly and loudly, or that you sometimes gasp for air during sleep, then you may suffer from sleep apnea. You can yourself pay attention to some specific points: do you often dream of death? Do you suffer from nocturia? Or do you have restless sleep or outright insomnia? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it would be ideal to consult a specialist in order to confirm or deny if you suffer from sleep apnea.
How is sleep apnea treated?
A change in lifestyle is necessary to fight this disease: like losing weight if we are obese, having a healthy diet, avoiding alcohol. In addition to these efforts, it will be necessary to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) at night, that is to say, a respiratory assistance device at night to help you breathe.