Sleep Apnea can be related to seizures!

Sleep-disordered breathing is a technical term for breathing difficulties during sleep. Accurate diagnosis is key because problems associated with the condition can mimic or cause a number of psychological and physical illnesses.

Obstructive sleep apnea, one such breathing disorder, can occur at any age. In adults, it is often detected by a spouse who notices periods when the partner's breathing stops during sleep. The airway collapses as it relaxes, depriving the body and brain of oxygen.

In children, it may be due to obstruction by enlarged tonsils and adenoids, and various deformations. It can be life-threatening in infants.Symptoms include sleep that is not restful, daytime sleepiness, headache and confusion. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to depression, memory loss, thinking problems, loss of brain tissue, lack of self-control, high blood pressure, stroke and sudden cardiac death.

In affected children, there may be problems with attention, memory, learning, hand-eye coordination, hyperactivity, aggression and violence. Misdiagnosis occurs because those symptoms can also be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and many other conditions.

Your pediatrician or primary care physician may recommend a sleep evaluation if there is:
Disturbed sleep.

Nighttime gagging, loss of breath or childhood snoring.

Excessive daytime sleepiness.

Daytime drop attacks (seizures that cause sudden falls).

Other symptoms described above.A sleep study can be done with overnight monitoring in a sleep clinic. Sleep experts will be able to detect not only breathing disorders but also seizures, narcolepsy and a number of other possible diagnoses.

A common treatment for obstructed breathing during sleep is continuous positive airway pressure (nasal CPAP), when a machine forces mildly pressured air into the nostrils to keep the airway open during sleep.

Weight loss can be extremely important, too, since becoming overweight is a possible cause as well as a result of obstructive sleep apnea.

If you wish to learn more about Sleep Apnea, I invite you to visit the following site: http://sleep-apnea.findoutnow.org