Sleep apnea in the elderly is not a rare problem. The ironic thing about it is that older people who are suffering from sleep apnea in many cases have their breathing halt for up to two minutes, many times a night. While for younger suffers stops for a few seconds only. What the breathing stops? The reason is because the body fails to get the required amount of oxygen. Due to interrupted sleep cycles throughout the night, the elders may feel drowsy in the middle of the day and they usually take a nap. These are natural side effects of sleep apnea.
Are There any Health Dangers
Yes, elderly individuals suffering from sleep apnea are at risk for some of these health risks which include stroke, heart attack, irregular heart beat, and high blood pressure. A few studies have linked sleep apnea in the elderly with being overweight while loud snoring with sleep apnea and physical irregularities in the nasal passages.
The Treatments
1) Physical blockage in the nasal passages requires simple surgery for an immediate cure if you are suffering from sleep apnea in the elderly.
2) By wearing a mask at night that forces air down through the nasal passages have relief many patients suffering from sleep apnea in the elderly. This devise is called a CPAP. Its usefulness is to provide adequate amounts of oxygen to the body. However, the negative effect of having to wear a mask to bed every night is quickly compensated by the unexpected boost of energy level experienced the next day, especially in the afternoon.
3) The final treatment for the sleep apnea in the elderly patient who is seriously overweight will consist of diet and exercise. Even though this may be the least expensive treatment, it is also the most difficult one to implement.
The Effect On Your Partner
The ironic thing about sleep apnea in the elderly is its effect on their partners. The partner is not getting enough sleep at night because they are the one subjected to the noise, while the sufferer has disturbed sleep due to the fact that they wake up a few times throughout the night. If you look at this both of them are victims. So they both tend to be rotten and irritable in the morning, afternoon, and evenings.
There are people who try sleeping in twin beds or in separate rooms. However, this often does not work because people get lonely for each other. Some partners have gone to bed wearing ear plugs but then who can hear when the dog wants to go out?
The conclusion
Don’t be surprise if you are incapable of convincing your elderly, sleep apnea suffering partner, that they snore loudly. This is because they can’t hear themselves snoring or feel their partner pushing and punching them to try and wake them up. Often this leads to extreme frustration on the part of the innocent partner.
If you love them secretly tape record them snoring in order to demonstrate to them they need treatment because their life may depend on it. Mention to them them sleep apnea in the elderly can be cured.
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Sleep apnea in the ederly is a common sleep apnea problem and many sufferers do not seek treatment. However, they have to know there are health issues involved here.