Sleep Apnea

Guest article by Shwetha Bhatia

Do you feel low on energy, experience daytime sleepiness or have trouble concentrating? You might be suffering from sleep apnea; a condition I wish to bring up as it seems to be quite common among my clients- with serious health effects!

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by the stoppage of breathing while sleeping from 10 to 60 seconds and gasping for breath or snorting or snoring when breathing is resumed. More than 5 episodes of apnea per hour must occur in order for it to be diagnosed.

There are three types: Obstructive, Central and Complex (combination of the two)

The daytime effects of SA include fatigue, vision problems and slower reaction time. Diabetes and stroke risk may also be higher. If you suspect your family member has sleep apnea, watch them for a few nights in a row and record what you observe. Snoring is not always caused by sleep apnea but can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea and that if it gets worse or is very loud, you should consult your doctor. A sleep study and oxygen saturation monitoring may be conducted. Treatment for sleep apnea may include a CPAP machine that you wear at night, a mouth guard, special exercises or in the most severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea, surgery may be needed.

Shwetha Bhatia is a registered dietician with the Indian Dietetic Association. She runs her practice under the brand name “Metamorphosis’ in Mumbai. She is also a competitive fitness athlete (IBBF Bronze winner at the State & National Level 2015). She has also set up her own gym and nutrition counselling centre in Goa called Gym & Tonic. She’s also a columnist for the fitness magazine Krunch Today.