How To Service Connect Sleep Apnea To Ptsd

Sleep Apnea Wrecking Ball Destroying a Life Sign Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is well-known to cause nightmares, insomnia, and full general sleep disruption. All the same, many Veterans fail to realize that there is an established link between PTSD and sleep apnea. In fact, one written report published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine of Veterans from Republic of iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD found 69.2% were at a high take chances of developing sleep apnea.

About Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by interrupted animate during sleep. It is most often diagnosed in older men, only it's important to annotation that many women and younger people do suffer from the condition.

There are three master types of slumber apnea.

Obstructive slumber apnea. This is the most common class of sleep apnea and involves the throat muscles intermittently relaxing in a way that blocks your airway when yous are sleeping.
Fundamental sleep apnea. In this class of slumber apnea, the brain doesn't transport proper signals to the muscles that command breathing.
Complex (mixed) sleep apnea syndrome. This diagnosis is given when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and fundamental sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a serious medical status. Information technology greatly impacts a person's quality of life since they will wake up feeling exhausted even if they've had a full night's sleep. This can atomic number 82 to difficulties at piece of work or school, problems maintaining relationships with others, and an increased hazard of machine crashes or other forms of adventitious injury.

Diagnosing and Treating Slumber Apnea

Sleep apnea needs to be diagnosed with a sleep study performed by a qualified healthcare provider. The examination, also known as a polysomnogram, is typically done at a sleep centre but can be conducted at dwelling for some individuals.

Some common signs that suggest a person may suffer from slumber apnea include:

Loud snoring
Morning headaches
Waking upwardly with a sore pharynx and dry out mouth
Insomnia
Recurring waking throughout the night
Waking up with a choking or gasping awareness
Sleepiness or lack of free energy during the day
Difficulty with concentration and retention during the day

Sleep apnea can be treated in a diverseness of means. A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) automobile is often recommended to evangelize a abiding flow of air into the nose to keep the airways open during sleep. Surgery helps in some cases, and lifestyle modifications such every bit losing weight or quitting smoking may likewise be recommended.

How Slumber Apnea Is Linked to PTSD

Although researchers accept shown that people with PTSD are at a college hazard of developing sleep apnea, the nature of the link betwixt the weather condition isn't fully understood. 1 common theory is that PTSD increases a person's take chances of developing other sleep apnea risk factors. These include:

Being overweight
Smoking
Abusing alcohol
Experiencing loftier levels of stress
Suffering from a co-occurring feet disorder

Annotation that even though PTSD increases the risk of developing sleep apnea, treating sleep apnea has been shown to decrease the severity of a person's PTSD symptoms. When the torso is able to get the rest information technology needs, fewer stress hormones are released and the ability to cope with anxiety improves. A study published by the American College of Chest Physicians in theChest Journal investigated the effect of CPAP adherence on PTSD and found that PTSD patients who were fully compliant with CPAP treatment experienced a pregnant reduction in nightmares associated with PTSD.

Getting Inability Benefits for Sleep Apnea and PTSD

Veterans with service-continued PTSD can receive medical care and monthly cash payments. They are likewise entitled to receive boosted bounty for what is referred to as secondary-service continued disabilities. These are weather that medical research has shown to develop every bit the event of an initial service-connected disability. Slumber apnea is a mutual example of a secondary-service continued disability for someone with PTSD. Other examples of secondary-service connected disabilities may include depression, panic disorder, or migraines.

In some cases, Veterans with PTSD and multiple secondary-service connected disabilities may qualify for Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU). This allows them to receive disability benefits at the rate of a Veteran who is 100% disabled, even if they wouldn't otherwise qualify for a 100% disability rating.
The role of Sean Kendall, Attorney-at-Law, helps Veterans navigate the complexities of VA disability law and maximize their compensation by adequately documenting their secondary-service connected disabilities. Contact our office today to schedule a free, no-obligation initial consultation.