English (10)
-Why do we sleep?
People spend one third of their lives sleeping. There are many scientific opinions with respect to the need for sleep. The basic theories about the functions of sleep are:
Snoring is a very common sleep disorder. Almost all of us snore occasionally. Mild snoring is simply annoying. Snoring intensively on a permanent basis significantly disrupts sleep and can be a sign of a much more serious situation - obstructive sleep apnea.
There is a wide range of factors that cause snoring, from large tongue size to accumulation of fat in the neck area and long uvula.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of breathing cessation during sleep.
There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive apnea and central apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by repetitive episodes of excessive relaxation of the upper airway muscles during sleep.
There are certain risk factors contributing to the appearance of sleep apnea:
The negative health effects of untreated obstructive sleep apnea are significant and have only recently began to be recognized and better managed. They range from simple clinical events, such as snoring and headaches, to serious and life-threatening health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Which are the most frequent questions about snoring and sleep apnea? Read about the answers.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Sleep Apnea Association and the National Sleep Foundation announced the following:
Konstantinos G. Tsoutis graduated from the Dental School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Postgraduate Program in Prosthodontic at the same university.