I snore or stop breathing during my sleep
You may not be aware that you suffer from disturbed breathing during sleep. Most people sometimes briefly stop breathing while they sleep. When this occurs frequently and there are complaints, we speak of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea literally means temporarily stopping to breath while sleeping.
An obstruction in the throat causes obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This often comes with complaints not directly related to breathing: snoring, urinating frequently, perspiring excessively, dreaming lively or thinking you only sleep lightly.
Possibly you don’t feel invigorated in the morning or sleepy during the day. Your memory and concentration may be disrupted. Or you become irritable. This could have consequences for your work performance or in relations with others.
Sometimes breathing stops occur during sleep not associated with snoring. This could fit the clinical picture of a central sleep apnea (CSA). This type of sleep apnea is seen in people with a heart disease of following a stroke. Some painkillers containing morphine may cause central sleep apnea. And sleep apnea can occur in people with a nerve or muscular disease.
For a simple type of sleep apnea, treatment usually takes place in a general hospital. Kempenhaeghe offers care programs focused on complex sleep apnea. These are applicable when the treatment shows little progress, complaints improve insufficiently, when the apnea is complex, or when there are multiple sleep problems.