What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that causes a person to stop breathing briefly during sleep. Irregular breathing, stop and start repeatedly. The main types of sleep apnea include obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
1.Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the throat or upper airway narrows or closes during sleep. This is the most common type of sleep apnea.
2.Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain sends a signal to the muscles that control breathing abnormally. Among pediatric cancer patients, children with brain tumors have the highest risk of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can make it difficult for patients to maintain adequate sleep or good sleep quality.
Poor sleep quality can lead to thinking, emotional, and behavioral problems. Children may have problems thinking, paying attention or remembering, and perform poorly in school. In addition, sleep apnea can cause physical problems such as heart problems, high blood pressure, and poor growth.
Causes of sleep apnea Sleep apnea is caused by a narrowing of the upper airway or throat during sleep. Airway closure is more common during sleep because the muscles of the throat and tongue relax. In children, enlarged tonsils or adenoids are the main cause of sleep apnea. Weight gain and obesity can also cause sleep apnea.
Compared with children with other types of cancer, children with brain tumors have a higher risk of sleep apnea. The higher risk of sleep apnea is associated with certain medical conditions, including Down syndrome, sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy, and neuromuscular disease.
Sleep apnea treatment The treatment of sleep apnea depends on the cause, severity, and age of the child. Some children may undergo surgery to remove enlarged tonsils or adenoids. This helps keep the throat more open, making it easier for air to pass through.
Continuous positive airway pressure in the treatment of sleep apnea
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP provides a constant flow of indoor air (not oxygen) through a mask or nosepiece connected to the machine. Air pressure helps keep the airway open during sleep.
The device can automatically adjust the air pressure as needed during sleep. These are called auto-adjusting CPAP, auto-CPAP, or APAPS.
In addition to medical treatment, we can also monitor our sleep state through smart watches. Prevent sleep apnea in advance. Under social pressure, the importance of a good sleep state is now becoming more prominent. In the past, we needed to monitor our sleep in the hospital. And now, we can monitor through smart watches.
Sleep apnea occurs during a person’s sleep period. When the human body enters the sleep state, the external perception is in a kind of closed state, and we cannot perceive it. But we can use smart watches with sleep monitoring functions to monitor our sleep state, such as Veepoo watch RIG, HUAWEI watch3, Apple watch, Xiaomi, Huami and other smart watches can monitor our sleep state. We must pay attention to our sleep breathing state to avoid the harm caused by sleep apnea.
